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QUINTUS  CLAUDIUS 


A  ROMANCE  OF   IMPERIAL  ROME 


BY 


ERNST    ECKSTEIN 


FROM  THE  GERMAN  BY  CLARA  BELL 


IN    TWO    VOLUMES VOL.    I. 


REVISED  AND   CORRECTED    IN   THE   UNITED   STATES 


NEW  YORK 
GEO.  GOTTSBERGER  PECK,  PUBLISHER 

117    CHAMBERS    STREET 


Copyright,  1882,  by  WILLIAM  S.  GOTTSBERGER 


THIS  TRANSLATION    WAS    MADE    EXPRESSLY    FOR   THE    PUBLISHER 


£> ' 


PREFACE 

TO    THE    FIRST    GERMAN    EDITION. 

IT  was  in  Rome  itself,  in  the  sublime  solemnity  of 
the  Colosseum,  among  the  ruins  of  the  palaces  of  the 
Caesars  and  crumbling  pillars  of  the  temples  of  the 
gods,  that  the  first  dreamy  outlines  rose  before  my 
fancy  of  the  figures  here  offered  to  the  reader's  contem- 
plation. Each  visit  added  strength  to  the  mysterious 
impulse,  to  conjure  up  from  their  tombs  these  shadows 
of  a  mighty  past,  and  afterwards,  at  home,  where  the 
throng  of  impressions  sorted  and  grouped  themselves  at 

^       leisure,  my  impulse  ripened  to  fulfilment. 

I  will  not  pause  here  to  dwell  on  the  fact,  that  the 
period  of  Imperial  rule  in  Rome  bears,  in  its  whole  as- 

f-      pect,   a    stronger    resemblance   to   the   XlXth   century 

"7  than  perhaps  any  other  epoch  before  the  Reformation ; 
for,  without  reference  to  this  internal  affinity,  we  should 
be  justified  in  using  it  for  the  purpose  of  Romance  simply 
by  the  fact,  that  hardly  another  period  has  ever  been 
equally  full  of  the  stirring  conflict  of  purely  human  in- 

(P       terest,  and  of  dramatic  contrasts  in  thought,  feeling  and 

Q        purpose. 

I  must  be  permitted  to  add  a  word  as  to  the  notes.* 

*  The  publisher  of  this  translation  has,  for  the  reader's  con- 
venience, placed  all  the  notes  at  the  foot  of  the  pages  containing 
the  corresponding  text. 


140942 


II  PREFACE. 

I  purposely  avoided  disturbing  the  reader  of  the  story 
by  references  in  the  text,  and  indeed  the  narrative  is 
perfectly  intelligible  without  any  explanation.  The 
notes,  in  short,  nre  not  intended  as  explanatory,  but 
merely  to  instruct  the  reader,  and  complete  the  picture; 
they  also  supply  the  sources,  and  give  the  evidence  on 
which  I  have  drawn.  From  this  point  of  view  they 
may  have  some  interest  for  the  general  public,  unfa- 
miliar with  the  authorities. 

LEIPZIG,  June  ir,  1881. 

ERNST  ECKSTEIN. 


QUINTUS    CLAUDIUS. 


CHAPTER  I. 


IT  was  the  morning  of  the  i2th  of  September  in  the 
Year  of  Our  Lord  95 ;  the  first  cold  gleam  of  dawn  was 
shining  on  the  steel-grey  surface  of  the  Tyrrhenian  sea. 
To  the  east,  over  the  gently  undulating  coast  of  Cam- 
pania, the  sky  was  tinged  with  that  tender  dewy-green 
which  follows  on  the  paling  of  the  stars ;  to  the  west  the 
waters  still  lay  in  impenetrable  darkness.  Their  almost 
unruffled  face  was  swiftly  parted  by  a  large  trireme,1  just 
now  making  its  way  from  the  south  and  opposite  to 
Salernum,  between  the  Posidium2  promontory  and  the 
Island  of  Capreae.3  The  oars  of  the  crew,  who  sat  in 
rows  on  three  ranks  of  benches,  rose  and  fell  in  rhythm 
to  a  melancholy  chant;  the  steersman  yawned  as  he 
looked  into  the  distance,  hoping  for  the  moment  of  re- 
lease. 

A  small  hatchway — fitted  with  silver  ornaments — 
now  opened  on  to  the  deck  from  the  cabin  between 
decks ;  a  fat  round  head  with  short  hair  showed  itself  in 

1.  TRIREME.      "Three-oared;"    a  vessel  with  three  ranks  of 
rowers,  one  above  another.     The  time  was  given  by  the  beats  of  a 
hammer  or  by  word  of  command  ;  not  unfrequently  by  an  air  played 
on  a  flute  or  a  sailor's  chant  (cantus  nauticus). 

2.  POSIDIUM,  now  called  the  Punta  della  Licosa,  south  of  th« 
Gulf  of  Salerno. 

3.  CAPREAE,  (isle  of  goats)  now  Capri. 

V*  L  | 


2  QUINTUS    CLAUDIUS. 

the  opening,  and  a  pair  of  blinking  eyes  looked  curiously 
round  in  every  direction.  Presently  the  head  was  fol- 
lowed by  a  body,  of  which  the  squat  rotundity  matched 
the  odd  head. 

"Well,  Chrysostomus,  is  Puteoli4  in  sight  yet  ?"  asked 
the  stout  man,  stepping  on  to  the  deck  and  looking 
across  to  the  blue-black  rocks  of  Capreae. 

"  Ask  again  in  three  hours  time,"  replied  the  steers- 
man. "  Unless  you  can  succeed  in  looking  round  the 
corner,  like  the  magician  of  Tyana, 5  you  must  need  wait 
till  we  have  the  island  yonder  behind  us." 

"  What !"  exclaimed  the  other,  drawing  a  little  ivory 
map6  from  his  tunic.7  "  Are  those  rocks  only  Capreae  ?" 

"Thou  sayest,  O  Herodianus!  Out  there  on  the 
heights  to  the  right,  hardly  visible  yet,  stands  the  palace 
of  the  glorified  Caesar  Tiberius.8  Do  you  see  that  steep 
cliff,  straight  down  to  the  sea  ?  That  was  where  such 
useless  fellows  as  you  were  dropped  over  into  the  water 
by  Caesar's  slaves." 

"  Chrysostomus,  do  not  be  impudent !     How  dare 


4.  PUTEOLI.    An  important  port  in  Campania,  now  Pozzuoli. 
Concerning  Puteoli's  commerce,  see  Stat.  Silv.  Ill,  5,  75. 

5.  APOLLONIUS  OF  TYANA  in  Cappadocia.     An  ascetic  and 
ecstatic  philosopher  and  miracle-worker  (A.  D.  50)  often  compared 
with  Christ  by  heathen  writers.     (Philostratus  wrote  his  life.) 

6.  IVORY  MAP.    Sketch-maps  of  various  routes  were  common  in 
ancient  times,  and  were  often  engraved  on  wine-jars,  cups,  etc. 

7.  TUNIC.  The  short-sleeved  under-garment  worn  by  both  sexes, 
the  house  costume,  over  which  men,  when  they  went  out,  threw  the 
toga,  women  the  stola  or  palla.     During  the  period  of  the  empire  a 
second  garment,  the  tunica  interior,   corresponding  to  the  shirt  of 
modern  times,  was  worn  under  the  tunic. 

8.  THE  PALACE  OF  TIBERIUS.  For  an  account  of  the  cruel  and 
extravagant  proceedings  of  Tiberius  at  Capri,  see  Tacitus  Ann.  I,  67, 
Suet.  Tib.  40,  Juv.  Sat.  X,  72  and  93.     Insignificant  remains  of  this 
palace  are  visible  at  the  present  day  :  Villa  di  Timberio ;  the  perpen- 
dicular cliff  700  feet  high  is  called  U  salto  (the  leap.) 


QUINTUS   CLAUDIUS.  3 

you,  a  common  ship's-mate,  make  so  bold  as  to  scoff  at 
me,  the  companion  and  confidential  friend  of  the  illus- 
trious Caius  Aurelius  ?  By  the  gods!9  but  it  is  beneath 
me  to  hold  conversation  with  you,  an  ignorant  seaman 
— a  man  who  carries  no  wax-tablets10  about  him,  who 
only  knows  how  to  handle  the  tiller  and  not  the  stylus 
— a  common  Gaul  who  is  ignorant  of  all  history  of  the 
gods — such  a  man  ought  not  even  to  jexist,  so  far  as  the 
friend  of  Aurelius  is  concerned." 

"  Oho !  you  are  dreaming !  you  are  not  his  friend, 
but  his  freedman."" 

Herodianus  bit  his  lip ;  as  he  stood  there,  his  face 
flushed  with  anger  and  turned  to  the  growing  day,  he 
might  have  been  taken  for  an  ill-natured  and  vindictive 
man.  But  good  temper  and  a  genial  nature  soon  reas- 
serted themselves. 

"  You  are  an  insolent  fellow,"  he  said  laughing,  "  but 
I  know  you  mean  no  harm.  You  sea-folks  are  a  rough 

9.  CASTOR  AND  POLLUX.   Leda's  twins,  the  Dioscuri,  were  the 
patrons  of  sea-faring  men. 

10.  WAX-TABLET  (tabula  cerata).    A  little  tablet  covered  with 
wax,  on  which  memoranda  were  written  with  the  stylus.  In  the  schools 
the  wax-tablet  supplied  the  place  of  the  slate,  and  in  daily  life  was  a 
substitute  for  our  note-book. 

n.  FREEDMAN.  The  institution  of  slavery  (servitium)  which  ex- 
isted from  ancient  times,  was  an  extremely  important  factor  in  the  or- 
ganization of  Roman  society.  The  slaves  (servi)  were  the  absolute 
property  of  their  masters,  who  had  unlimited  control  over  their  destinies 
and  lives.  (This  right  was  not  withdrawn  until  A.  D.  61,  when  the 
law  of  Petronius  prohibited  the  arbitrary  condemnation  of  slaves  to 
combats  with  wild  beasts,  etc.)  The  slave  could  then  be  released  by 
the  so-called  manumissio,  and  was  styled  libertus  or  libertinus.  His 
position  depended  upon  the  greater  or  less  degree  of  formality  with 
which  the  manumissio  was  granted.  The  most  solemn  manner  bestowed 
all  the  rights  of  the  free-born  citizen,  but  even  in  this  case  he  was  soci- 
ally burdened  with  the  same  stigma  that  rests  upon  the  emancipated 
slaves  in  the  United  States.  If  a  freedman  attained  power  and  influ- 
ence— which  under  the  emperors  was  very  common — the  haughty 
representatives  of  the  ancient  noble  families  paid  him  external  respect, 
it  is  true,  but  the  man's  origin  was  never  forgotten. 


4  QUINTUS    CLAUDIUS. 

race.  I  will  burn  a  thank-offering  to  all  the  gods  when 
this  accursed  sea-saw  on  the  waves  is  over  at  last.  Was 
there  ever  such  a  voyage!  from  Trajectum"  to  Gades13 
without  landing  once!  And  at  Gades  hardly  had  we  set 
foot  on  shore,  when  we  were  ordered  on  board  again !  And 
if  Aurelius,  our  noble  master,  had  not  had  business  to 
settle  in  Panormus14  with  his  deceased  father's  host,  I  be- 
lieve we  should  have  made  the  whole  voyage  from  His- 
pania  to  Rome  without  a  break.  I  will  dance  like  the 
Corybantes,15  when  I  am  once  more  allowed  to  feel  like 
a  man  among  men  !  How  long  will  it  be  yet  before  we 
reach  Ostia?"16 

"  Two  days,  not  more,"  replied  Chrysostomus. 

"  Aphrodite  Euploia  be  most  fervently  thanked !" 

"  What  are  you  talking  about  ?  Who  is  that  you  are 
blessing  ?" 

"  To  be  sure,  my  good  Chrysostomus,"  replied  the 
other  with  a  triumphant  smile,  "  I  was  forgetting  that  a 
seaman  from  the  land  of  the  Gauls  is  not  likely  to  un- 
derstand Greek.  Euploia,  being  interpreted,  means  the 
goddess  who  grants  us  a  good  voyage.  Do  not  take  my 
observation  ill,  but  surely  you  might  have  picked  up  so 
much  Greek  as  that  in  the  course  of  your  many  voyages 
with  the  lamented  father  of  our  lord  Aurelius." 

"  Silly  stuff!"  retorted  Chrysostomus.  "  Besides,  I 
never  sailed  in  the  Greek  seas.  Ten  times  to  Ostia, 

12.  TRAJECTUM.     A  Batavian  city  in  the  Roman  province  Ger- 
mania,  now  Utrecht. 

13.  GADES.    A  city  in  southern  Spain,  the  modern  Cadiz. 

14.  PANORMUS.    A  city  on  the  north  coast  of  Sicily,  the  modern 
Palermo. 

15.  CORYBAS.  In  the  plural  Corybantes ;  priests  of  Cybele.  Their 
worship  was  a  wild  orgy  with  war-dances  and  noisy  music.     (Horace, 
Od.  I,  16,  8 :  non  acuta  sigeminant  Corybantes  aera,  etc.) 

16.  OSTIA.  The  port  ot  Rome,  situated  at  the  mouth  of  the  Tiber. 


QUINTUS    CLAUDIUS.  5 

eight  times  to  Massilia,17  twelve  times  to  Panormus  and 
a  score  of  times  northwards  to  the  seas  of  the  Goths  up 
by  the  land  of  the  Rugii18 — that  is  the  sum  total  of  my 
annals.  But  Latin  is  spoken  everywhere ;  even  the  Frisii19 
can  make  themselves  understood  more  or  less  in  the 
language  of  Rome;  among  the  Rugii,  to  be  sure,  we 
talked  in  Gothic." 

"  A  poor  excuse !"  said  Herodianus  pathetically. 
"  However  I  have  talked  till  I  am  thirsty !  I  will  be  on 
the  spot  again  when  the  master  appears." 

He  carefully  replaced  his  little  "ivory  map  in  the 
bosom  of  his  under-garment,  and  was  about  to  withdraw, 
when  a  tall  youth,  followed  by  two  or  three  slaves,  ap- 
peared on  the  steps  from  below.  The  ship's  crew  hailed 
their  master  with  a  loud  shout,  and  Caius  Aurelius, 
thanking  them  for  their  greeting,  went  forward  while  the 
slaves  prepared  breakfast30  under  an  awning  over  the 
cabin  roof;  only  one  of  them  followed  him. 

It  was  by  this  time  broad  daylight;  the  whole 
eastern  sky  glowed  with  flame  behind  the  blue  Cam- 
panian  hills,  a  light  breeze  curled  the  no  less  glowing 
sea  into  a  thousand  waves  and  ripples,  and  the  prow  of 
the  galley,  which  was  decorated  with  a  colossal  ram's- 


17.  MASSILIA.    An  important  city  founded  by  the  Greeks  on  the 
southern  coast  of  Gaul,  now  called  Marseilles. 

18.  RUGII.    A  German  race  occupying  a  considerable  part  of  the 
coast  of  the  Baltic — the  present  Pomerania  and  island  of  Riigen. 

19.  FRISII.  A  German  race  settled  in  the  northern  part  of  what  is 
now  Holland  and  farther  east  beyond  Ems  (Amisia). 

20.  BREAKFAST.  The  first  meal  after  rising  was  called  jentaculum. 
In  the  time  of  the  republic  (and  still  later  among  the  poorer  classes)  it 
consisted  principally  of  pulse.     Among  the  wealthy  luxury  intruded 
even  here ;  but  in  comparison  with  the  second  breakfast  (prandium) 
and  especially  with  the  principal  repast  (coena]  the  jentaculum  always 
remained  frugal. 


6  QUINTUS   CLAUDIUS. 

head91  in  brass,  threw  up  the  water  in  sparks  of  liquid 
gold.  The  palace  of  Tiberius  on  the  top  of  the  rocky 
isle  seemed  caught  in  sudden  fire,  at  every  instant  the 
glory  spread  lower,  kindling  fresh  peaks  and  towers,  and 
up  rose  the  sun  in  all  the  majesty  and  splendor  of  his 
southern  might  from  behind  the  heights  of  Salernum. 

Herodianus,  who  had  taken  his  place  officiously 
close  to  his  master,  appeared  to  promise  himself  immense 
satisfaction  in  interpreting  the  young  man's  mood  of 
devout  admiration  by  a  long  quotation  of  Greek  poetry. 
He  had  already  thrown  himself  into  a  pathetic  attitude 
and  laid  his  finger  meditatively  on  his  cheek,  when 
Aurelius  signed  to  him  that  he  wished  to  be  left  undis- 
turbed. The  freedman,  somewhat  offended,  drew  back 
a  step  or  two  while  Aurelius,  standing  by  the  side  of  his 
favorite  slave  Magus,82  who  preserved  a  discreet  silence, 
leaned  over  the  bulwark  for  a  long  space  lost  in  thought, 
letting  his  eye  wander  over  the  open  sea  and  linger  for 
a  while  on  the  fantastic  shapes  of  the  rocks  and  moun- 
tains, which  constantly  shifted  in  form  and  grouping  as 
the  swift  galley  flew  onwards. 

Capreae  was  already  on  their  right  hand,  and  the 
broad  bay  of  Parthenope,*3  with  its  endless  perspective 
of  towns  and  villas,  opened  before  them  like  a  huge 

21.  RAM'S-HEAD  AT  THE  PROW.    These  ornaments  were  usually 
carved  in  wood  on  the  prow.     They  must  not  be  confounded  with  the 
ship's  beaks  (rostra,  «^oAa).      These  beaks — two  strong  iron-cased 
beams — were  on  the  fore-part  of  the  ships  of  war  and  also  on  vessels 
intended  for  long  voyages,  where  they  would  be  exposed  to  danger 
from  pirates.     They  were  beneath  the  surface  of  the  water,  and  were 
destined  to  bore  holes  in  the  enemy's  ships.     See  vol.  2,  Chap  TX. 

22.  MAGUS.    A  Gothic  word— (not    the  Latin    Magus,   Greek 
ttayo? — magician,  sorcerer,) — means  a  boy,  or  knave  in  the  old  sense 
of  servant. 

23.  PARTHENOPE.    The  ancient  name  of  Naples,  from  the  area 
Parthenope,  who  is  said  to  be  buried  there. 


QUINTUS   CLAUDIUS.  7 

pearly  shell;  the  dark  ashy  cone  of  Vesuvius94  stood  up 
defiantly  over  the  plain  where,  a  short  time  since,  it  had 
engulfed  the  blooming  towns  of  Herculaneum,  Pompeii 
and  Stabiae.  Now  there  rose  from  its  summit  only  a 
filmy  cloud  of  smoke,  ruddy  in  the  light  of  the  mounting 
sun.  Farther  on,  the  quays  of  Puteoli  were  discernible, 
the  stately  buildings  of  Baiae'5  and  the  islands  of  Aenaria 
and  Prochyta.26  On  the  left  hand  the  distance  was  un- 
limited; vessels  laden  with  provisions  from  Alexandria27 
and  merchant-ships  from  Massilia  slowly  crossed  the 
horizon  like  visions;  others,  with  every  sail  set,  flew 
across  the  bay  to  disembark  their  precious  freight  in  the 
emporium  of  Puteoli,  whence  it  would  be  carried  to  lay 
at  the  feet  of  Rome,  the  all-absorbing  and  insatiable 
mistress  of  the  world. 

Meanwhile  the  slaves  had  laid  the  table  under  the 
awning  with  fine  cloths,  had  arranged  couches  and 
seats  and  strewn  the  spot  with  a  few  flowers,  and  were 
now  standing  ready  to  serve  the  morning  meal  at  a  sign 
from  their  young  master.  The  weary  night-rowers  had 
half  an  hour  ago  been  relieved  by  a  fresh  crew,  and  the 
fine  boat  flew  on  with  double  rapidity,  for  a  fresh  breeze 
had  risen  and  filled  the  sails.  In  an  instant  the  whole 
face  of  the  waters  had  changed,  and  as  far  as  the  eye 
could  reach  danced  crest  on  crest  of  foam. 

Aurelius  wrapped  himself  more  closely  in  his  Taren- 


24.  VESUVIUS.      The  famous  eruption,  which  buried  the  three 
cities  mentioned,  took  place  A.  D.  79,  that  is,  sixteen  years  before  the 
commencement  of  this  story, 

25.  BAIAE,  now  Baja,  the  most  famous  watering-place  of  ancient 
times.     See  Horace,  Ep.  I,  i,  83. 

26.  AENARIA  AND  PROCHYTA,  now  Ischia  and  Procida. 

27.  ALEXANDRIA  in  Egypt   was,   in   point  of  commerce,  the 
London  of  ancient  times. 


8  QUINTUS    CLAUDIUS, 

tine  travelling-cloak38  and  involuntarily  glanced  at 
Magus,  the  Gothic  slave  who  stood  by  his  side;  but 
Magus  did  not  seem  to  see  his  master's  look,  he  was 
gazing  motionless  and  with  knitted  brows  in  the  direc- 
tion of  Baiae.  Then  he  shaded  his  eyes  from  the  glare 
with  his  right  hand. 

"  Hva  gasaihvis .**  What  do  you  see  ?"  asked  Aure- 
lius,  who  sometimes  spoke  in  Gothic  to  the  man. 

"  Gasaihva  leitil  skip"  answered  the  Goth.  "  A  little 
boat  out  there  not  far  from  the  point.  If  it  is  the  same 
in  your  southern  seas,  as  in  our  northern  ones,  these  good 
folks  would  be  wise  to  get  their  cockleshell  to  shore  as 
fast  as  may  be.  When  the  sea  is  covered  with  eider- 
down in  such  a  short  time,  it  generally  means  mischief." 

"You  have  eyes  like  a  northern  sea-eagle.  It  is 
indeed,  a  small  boat,  hardly  visible  among  the  tossing 
waves,  it  cannot  have  more  than  eight  oarsmen  at 
most." 

"  There  are  but  four,  my  lord,"  said  the  Goth.  "  And 
with  them  three  ladies." 

The  wind  was  rising  every  instant;  the  trireme 
parted  the  water  like  an  arrow,  and  the  prow,  now  rising 
and  now  sinking  on  the  billows,  dipped  in  them  far  above 
the  large  metal  ornaments. 

28.  TARENTINE  TRAVELLING-CLOAK.    The  woollen  stuffs  from 
Tarentum,  now  called  Taranto,  were  famous. 

29.  "HvA  GASAIHVIS?" — "  GASAIHVA  LEiTiL  SKIP."  Literally: 
What  do  you  see?      (I)  see  (a)  little  ship.     The  earliest  existing 
specimens  of  Gothic  date  from  several  centuries  later  than  the  time  of 
this  story,  namely  the  period  when  the  Goths  left  their  original  settle- 
ments on  the  lower  Vistula  and  settled  farther  to  the  southeast  on  the 
Black  Sea.     I  thought  it  permissible,  however,  to  make  a  Goth  of  the 
first  century  speak  the  language  of  Ulrilas,  since  there  is  nothing 
against  it  in  the  general  analogies  of  language,  and  Gothic,  in  the 
form  in  which  it  remains  to  us,  is  so  concrete  and  logical  in  its  structure," 
that  it  is  hardly  credible  that  it  should  have  varied  to  any  great  extent 
within  a  period  of  two  or  three  centuries. 


QUINTUS   CLAUDIUS.  9 

"  It  may  indeed  be  a  serious  matter,"  said  Aurelius ; 
"not  for  us — it  must  be  something  worse  than  this  that 
puts  the  proud  'Batavia'30  in  peril — but  for  the  ladies 
in  that  little  bark " 

He  turned  round.  "  Amsivarius,"  he  cried  to  the 
head  oarsman.  "  Tell  your  men  to  give  way  with  a 
will;  and  you,  Magus,  go  and  desire  Chrysostomus  to 
alter  our  course." 

In  a  few  seconds  the  vessel's  head  was  turned  round 
a  quarter  of  a  circle  and  was  making  her  way  straight 
into  the  bay.  The  accelerated  thud  of  the  time-keeper's 
hammer  sounded  a  dull  accompaniment  to  the  piping 
wind;  the  sea  surged  and  tossed,  and  the  deep-blue  sky, 
where  there  still  was  not  a  cloud  to  be  seen,  beamed 
incongruously  bright  over  the  stormy  main.  They 
were  now  within  a  hundred  yards  of  the  small  boat, 
which  was  one  of  the  elegant  pleasure-barks  used 
by  the  gay  visitors  to  Baiae  for  short  excursions  in  the 
bay.  As  the  trireme  came  up  with  them,  the  rowers  gave 
up  their  futile  struggle  with  the  raging  elements  and  only 
tried  to  avoid  being  capsized.  The  ladies,  it  could  be  seen 
were  much  agitated;  two  of  them,  a  richly-dressed 
woman  of  about  forty  and  a  young  and  blooming  girl  sat 
clinging  to  each  other,  while  the  third,  tumbled  into  aheap 
at  the  bottom  of  the  boat,  held  an  amulet31  in  her  hand, 
which  she  again  and  again  pressed  fervently  to  her  lips. 

Aurelius  gave  a  shout  from  the  trireme,  which  the 
boatmen  eagerly  answered,  and  a  sailor  on  board  the 
Batavia  flung  a  rope  with  a  practised  hand  to  the  fore- 

30.  BATAVIA.     It  was  the  custom  at  a  very  early  date  to  name 
vessels  after  towns,  persons,  or  countries,  etc. 

31.  AMULET.  A  faith   in  the  protecting  power  of  charms  and 
amulets  was  universal  among  Roman  women,  and  children  were  al- 
ways provided  with  amulets  against  the  evil  eye. 


10  QUINTUS   CLAUDIUS. 

most  of  the  men  in  the  smaller  vessel — the  slave  hastily 
tied  it  fast  and  cried  out  "ready,"  the  sailor  pulled 
firmly  and  steadily,  the  rope  stretched  taut,  the  little  boat 
came  on  and  in  a  few  minutes  lay  under  the  lee  of  the 
galley  like  a  fish  judiciously  hooked  and  landed.  In 
two  minutes  more  it  was  fast  to  the  side  of  the  trireme, 
and  the  ladies  and  the  crew  were  placed  in  safety. 

Aurelius,  leaning  against  the  stern -bulwark,  had 
watched  the  proceedings  with  anxious  interest  and  now, 
as  the  ladies,  exhausted  by  the  tossing  they  had  had, 
sank  on  to  the  couches  under  the  canopy,  he  politely 
went  forward  and  invited  his  unexpected  visitors  to  go 
down  into  the  more  sheltered  cabin  rooms  of  the  trireme. 
The  younger  lady  rose  at  once,  and  with  a  dignified 
eagerness  expressed  their  thanks.  Nor  was  it  long  before 
the  elder  had  quite  recovered  herself;  only  the  old 
woman  who  held  the  amulet  hid  her  pale  face  in  the  pil- 
lows as  if  she  were  stunned,  while  she  trembled  and 
quaked  in  every  limb. 

"  Come,  stand  up,  Baucis,"  said  the  young  girl 
kindly.  "  The  danger  is  over." 

"  Merciful  Isis39  save  and  defend  us !"  groaned  the 
old  woman,  turning  the  amulet  in  her  fingers.  "  Preserve 
us  from  sudden  death  and  deliver  us  in  danger !  I  will 
offer  thee  a  waxen  ship,  **  and  sacrifice  lambs  and  fruits 
as  much  as  thou  canst  desire  !" 

32.  Isis.  The  Egyptian  goddess  Isis  was  originally  a  personifica- 
tion of  the  Nile  country,  and  as  such  was  the  wife  of  Osiris,  the  god 
of  the  Nile,  who  is  slain  by  Typhon  and  longingly  sought  by  the  de- 
serted goddess.     She  was  afterwards -confounded  with  every  conceiv- 
able form  of  Greek  (See  Appuleius.  Met.  XI,  5.)  and  Roman  Mythol- 
ogy and  thus  in  the  first  century  after  Christ  became  the  principal 
goddess.     Her  worship  was  chiefly  by  women. 

33.  WAXEN    SHIP.     Such  votive  offerings  are  commonly  men- 
tioned.   They  were  generally  painted  pictures,  but  models  in  wax  or 
metal  were  also  given. 


QUINTUS    CLAUDIUS.  11 

"  Oh,  you  superstitious  simpleton  !"  said  the  girl  in 
her  ear.  "  How  am  I  to  bring  you  to  your  senses  ?  Pray 
rather  to  the  almighty  Jupiter,  that  he  may  enlighten 
your  ignorance !  But  come  now — the  noble  stranger  who 
has  taken  us  on  board  his  ship  is  growing  impatient." 

A  shrill  cry  was  the  only  answer,  for  the  vessel  had 
given  a  sudden  lurch  and  the  old  woman,  who  was  sit- 
ting with  her  legs  under  her  on  the  couch,  was  thrown 
off  somewhat  roughly. 

"  Oh,  Isis  of  a  thousand  names !"  she  whimpered 
piteously.  "  That  has  cost  me  two  or  three  ribs  at  least 
and  a  score  of  weeks  on  a  sick-bed !  Barbillus — you 
false  priest — is  that  all  the  good  your  amulet  is  ?  Was 
it  for  this  that  I  had  my  forehead  sprinkled  with  water 
out  of  the  sacred  Nile,34  and  paid  fifty  sesterces35  for 
each  sprinkling  ?  Was  it  for  this  that  I  laid  fresh  bread 
on  the  altars  ?  Oh  woe  is  me,  what  pain  I  am  in !" 

While  she  was  thus  besieging  heaven  with  complaints, 
Magus  the  Goth  had  with  a  strong  hand  picked  up  the 
little  woman  and  set  her  on  her  feet. 

"  There,  leave  off  crying,  mother,"  said  he  good- 
humoredly.  "  Roman  bones  are  not  so  easily  broken  ! 
But  make  haste  and  get  below ;  the  storm  is  increasing 
fast.  See,  my  master  is  leading  your  ladies  down  now." 
And  as  Baucis  gave  no  sign  of  acting  on  the  slave's 
advice,  she  suddenly  found  herself  lifted  up  like  a  feather 
in  his  strong  and  sinewy  arms  and  carried  to  the  hatch- 
way, to  the  great  amusement  of  the  bystanders. 

"  Madam,"  said  Aurelius  to  the  elder  lady,  when  his 
guests  were  snugly  under  shelter  in  the  eating-room,  "  I 

34.  NILE-WATER.    The  worshippers  of  Isis  ascribed  a  special 
power  to  the  waters  of  the  Nile. 

35.  SESTERCES.    A  Roman  silver  coin  worth  about  4  or  5  cents. 


12  QUINTUS   CLAUDIUS. 

am  a  Roman  knight36  from  the  town  of  Trajectum  in 
Batavia,  far  north  of  this,  not  far  from  the  frontier  of  the 
Belgae.  My  name  is  Caius  Aurelius  Menapius,  and  I  am 
on  my  way  to  Rome  as  being  the  centre  of  the  inhabited 
world,  in  order  to  improve  and  extend  my  knowledge  and 
perhaps  to  serve  my  mother-country.  May  I  venture 
now  to  ask  you  and  your  fair  companion,  to  tell  me  who 
you  are  that  kind  fortune  has  thus  thrown  in  my  way  ?" 

36.  ROMAN  KNIGHT.  During  the  reign  of  the  emperors  the  free 
population  of  Rome  was  divided  into  three  orders :  senators,  knights, 
and  people  (third  order*.  The  order  of  senators  was  limited  to  Rome, 
and  in  its  hands  lay  the  real  political  power,  which  in  tho  time  of  the 
republic  had  been  exercised  by  the  assembled  populace.  To  the  senate 


by  allowing  them- 
selves to  be  confirmed  by  the  senate.  In  their  relation  to  this  body, 
the  emperors  were  only  first  among  their  peers,  the  members  of  this 
order  being  really  their  equals  ;  a  relation  which,  with  the  exception  of 
Caligula,  Nero,  Domitian,  and  Commodus,  the  emperors  during  the 
first  two  centuries,  more  or  less  earnestly  endeavored  to  maintain. 
(Friedlander.  Rom.  Sittengesch.  I,  3.)  The  number  of  the  old  sena- 
torial families  was  comparatively  small. 

The  second  order,  the  knights  (equites),  was  scattered  over  the 
whole  empire.  A  class  specially  designated  for  military  service,  it  be- 
came in  the  time  of  the  Gracchi,  a  body  of  rich  men,  each  of  whom 
possessed  a  fortune  of  400,000  sesterces,  and  also  fulfilled  the  conditions 
of  being  of  free  birth  and  descent,  blameless  reputation,  and  refraining 
from  dishonorable  or  indecorous  methods  of  making  money.  Loss  of 
this  fortune,  whether  by  their  own  fault  or  otherwise,  entailed  loss  of 
rank.  In  consequence  of  the  confusion  and  dissolution  of  all  legal  regu- 
lations through  the  civil  war,  these  conditions  were  largely  abrogated. 
While  many  who  had  formerly  been  entitled  to  belong  to  the  order  of 
knights,  lost  their  rank  through  loss  of  fortune,  others,  who  though  pos- 
sessing the  needful  property,  had  none  of  the  other  requisites,  assumed 
without  opposition  the  external  distinctions  of  the  knights,  especially 
the  gold  ring  and  the  seat  of  honor  in  the  theatre.  (Friedlander.)  There 
were  various  degrees  of  rank  in  the  order  of  knights,  and  also  great 
diversity  of  fortune.  Besides  the  poor  titular  knights,  there  were 
bankers,  wholesale  merchants,  and  the  directors  and  members  of  great 
commercial  companies  and  societies  for  mercantile  enterprises  of  every 

The  third  order  comprised  mechanics,  small  tradesmen,  tavern- 
keepers,  learned  men,  artists,  etc.,  etc., — except  in  cases  where  those 
who  followed  these  pursuits  were  slaves, — and  also  the  immense  body 
of  proletarians,  who  subsisted  almost  exclusively  on  public  alms. 


QUINTUS    CLAUDIUS.  13 

"  My  lord,"37  said  the  matron,  with  a  gravity  that  was 
almost  solemn,  "  we  can  boast  of  senatorial  rank.  I  am 
Octavia,  the  wife  of  Titus  Claudius  Mucianus,38  the  priest 
of  Jupiter,  and  this  is  our  daughter.  We  have  been 
staying  at  Baiae  since  the  end  of  April  for  the  sake  of 
my  health.  The  sea-air,  the  aromatic  breath  of  the 
woods  and  the  delightful  quiet  of  our  country-house, 
which  is  somewhat  secluded,  soon  restored  my  strength, 
and  I  take  a  particular  pleasure  in  morning  excursions 
on  the  bay.  We  started  to-day  in  lovely  weather  to 
sail  as  far  as  Prochyta ;  then  the  storm  overtook  us,  as 
you  know,  at  some  distance  from  the  shore,  and  we  owe 

37.  MY  LORD  SAID  THE  MATRON.     Concerning  the  address 
"lord"  (domine),  see  the  minute  discussions  in  Friedlander's  Sitten- 
peschichte,  I,  appendix.     It  was  not  so  common  as  the  modern  "sir," 
but  was  used  as  an  expression  of  special  courtesy  in  the  most  varied 
relations  of  life.    The  emperors  themselves  used  it  in  intercourse  with 
persons  to  whom  they  wished  to  show  attention.  Thus  Marcus  Antoninus 
writes  to  Fronto :  "  Have,  mi  domine  magister."    According  to  Seneca 
(Ep.  Ill,  i.)  it  was  already  customary  under  Nero  to  greet  persons, 
whose  names  could  not  be  instantly  remembered,  by  this  title,  in  order 
not  to  appear  uncourteous  under  any  circumstances.     The  Fronto  just 
mentioned  calls  a  son-in-law  "  domine,"  and  when  Nero  once  played 
the  cithara  in  public,  he  addressed  the  spectators  as  "  mei  domini.' 

Nay,  the  association  of  domine  with  the  name,  which  to  our  ears 
has  a  very  modern  sound,  is  often  found.  Thus  in  Appuleius  (Met.  II,) 
we  read :  "  Lucidomine," — "  Lord  Lucius."  In  this  story,  however,  this 
association  is  avoided,  as  it  might  have  produced  the  semblance  of 
an  anachronism.  In  accosting  women  domino,  (lady)  corresponds 
with  domine.  The  French,  when  referring  to  subjects  connected  with 
ancient  Rome,  reproduce  the  sound  as  well  as  the  meaning  of  the  word 
correctly  by  their  madame  (meam  dominam) . 

38.  TITUS  CLAUDIUS  MUCIANUS.  The  Romans  usually  had  three 
names.  Titus  is  here  the  first  name  (praenomcn)  which  was  given  sons 
on  the  ninth  day  after  their  birth.     Claudius  is  the  name  of  the  gens, 
the  family  in  the  wider  sense  of  the  word  (nomengentilicium).  Mucianus 
is  the  cognomen,  the  surname,  the  name  of  the  immediate  family 
(stirps  or  familia).     Thus  several  stirpes  belonged  to  a  single  gens. 
Daughters  bore  only  the  name  of  the  gens ;  for  instance  the  daughter 
of  Titus  Claudius  Mucianus  was  called  Claudia.    If  there  were  two  of 
them,  they  were  distinguished  by  the  words  major  (the  elder)  and 
minor  (the  younger) ;  if  there  were  several,  by  numbers.  The  Claudia 
Gens  was  a  very  ancient  and  famous  one.   The  principal  characters  of 
the  story,  belonging  to  the  stirps  Muciana,  are  purely  imaginary. 


14  QUINTUS    CLAUDIUS. 

it  to  you  and  to  your  good  ship,  that  we  are  so  well  out 
of  the  danger.  Accept  once  more  our  warmest  thanks, 
and  pray  give  us  the  opportunity  of  returning  in  our 
villa  at  Baiae  the  hospitality  you  have  shown  us  on 
board  your  galley." 

"  With  the  greatest  pleasure,"  said  Aurelius  eagerly, 
"  and  all  the  more  so,  as  I  purposed  remaining  to  rest  at 
Baiae — "  but  he  colored  as  he  spoke,  for  this  was 'not 
the  truth — he  looked  round  in  some  embarrassment  at 
Magus,  who  was  standing  humbly  in  a  corner  of  the 
room  and  preparing  to  serve  some  refreshment.  The 
eyes  of  the  master  and  the  slave  met,  and  the  master 
colored  more  deeply,  while  the  slave  laughed  to  himself 
with  a  certain  satisfaction.  Two  other  servants  placed 
seats  round  the  table  in  the  old  Roman  fashion,  for  the 
custom  of  lying  on  a  couch  at  meals  was  by  no  means 
universal  in  the  provinces,  and  Aurelius  knew  that  even 
in  Rome  women  of  high  rank  and  strict  conduct  con- 
temned this  luxurious  habit. 

The  rocking  of  the  vessel  had  ceased,  for  it  had 
been  steered  into  a  sheltered  cove  of  the  bay,  and  before 
long  a  tempting  breakfast  was  spread  on  the  embroidered 
cloth;  fish,  milk,  honey,  eggs,  fruit  and  a  dish  of  boiled 
cray-fish,  of  which  the  scarlet  mail  contrasted  pictu- 
resquely with  the  artistically-embossed  silver-platter  on 
which  they  were  served. 

Aurelius  begged  his  guests  to  be  seated  and  led  Oc- 
tavia  to  the  seat  of  honor  at  the  upper  end  of  the  table. 
On  her  left  hand  her  daughter,  the  fair  Claudia,  took  her 
seat ;  Aurelius  sat  on  the  other  hand  and  at  the  side  of 
the  table.  Herodianus  and  Baucis,  who  was  still  very 
much  discomposed,  took  their  places  at  the  other  end  of 
the  table  and  at  a  respectful  distance. 


QUINTUS    CLAUDIUS.  1$ 

"  You  must  take  what  little  I  can  offer  you,  ladies," 
said  the  Batavian.  "  We  Northmen  are  plain  folks . . . ." 

"  You  are  joking !"  interrupted  Octavia.  "  Do  you 
imagine,  that  all  the  inhabitants  of  the  imperial  city  are 
gourmands  after  the  fashion  of  Gavius  Apicius  P"39 

"  Well,"  said  Aurelius  in  some  confusion,  "  we  know 
at  any  rate  that  Rome  is  the  acknowledged  mistress  of 
all  the  arts  of  refined  enjoyment,  and  above  all  of  the 
most  extravagant  luxury  in  food . . . ." 

"  Not  half  so  much  so  as  you  believe,"  said  Octavia. 
"  You  gentlemen  from  the  provinces  fall,  without  excep- 
tion, into  that  strange  mistake.  A  Roman  lady  in  the 
same  way  is  to  you  the  type  of  all  that  is  atrocious,  be- 
cause a  few  reckless  women  have  made  themselves 
talked  about.  You  forget  that  it  is  in  the  very  nature  of 
virtue  to  remain  concealed  and  ignored.  But  tell  me, 
my  lord,  whence  do  you  procure  this  delicious  honey  ?" 

"  It  comes  from  Hymettus,"40  replied  Aurelius,  who 
was  somewhat  disconcerted  by  the  lady's  airs  and  man- 
ners. "  My  friend  here,  the  worthy  Herodianus,  pro- 
cured it  at  Panormus." 

"Ah!"  said  Octavia,  raising  a  polished  emerald41 
mounted  in  gold  to  her  eye,  for  she  was  short-sighted : 
"  Your  friend  understands  the  subject,  that  I  must  con- 
fess— do  you  not  think  so,  Claudia  my  love  ?" 

The  young  lady  answered  with  vague  abstraction, 

39.  GAVIUS  APICIUS,  the  famous  Roman  gourmand  (Tac.  Ann. 
IV,  i.)  who  finding  that  he  had  only  two  million  and  a  half  denari  left 
in  the  world  (about  400,000  dollars)  killed  himself,  thinking  it  impossi- 
ble to  live  on  so  little. 

40.  HYMETTUS.   A  mountain  in  Attica,  famed  for  its  delicious 
honey.     (Horace,  Od.  II,  6,  14). 

41.  POLISHED  EMERALD.   (Plin.  Hist.  Nat.  XXXVII,  64)  where 
it  is  stated  that  the  emperor  Nero  used  such  an  eye-glass  at  the  pub- 
lic games. 


1 6  QUINTUS   CLAUDIUS. 

for  some  minutes  she  had  sat  lost  in  thought.  She  had 
hardly  touched  the  delicacies  that  had  been  set  before 
her,  and  she  now  silently  waved  a  refusal  to  the  slave 
who  offered  the  much-praised  honey.  Even  the  vigor- 
ous struggle  in  which  Herodianus  was  engaged  with  an 
enormous  lobster42  failed  to  bring  a  smile  to  her  lips,  and 
yet  her  expression  had  never  been  brighter  or  more 
radiant.  Once  and  again  her  eyes  rested  on  the  face 
of  the  young  Batavian,  who  was  engaged  in  such  eager 
conversation  with  her  mother,  and  then  they  returned 
to  the  loop-hole  in  the  cabin  roof,  where  the  pane  of 
crystal43  shone  like  a  diamond  in  the  sunshine. 

Octavia  was  talking  of  Rome,  while  Herodianus 
entertained  Baucis  with  an  account  of  Menander's44 
comedies ;  thus  Claudia  could  pursue  her  day-dream  at 
her  pleasure.  She  was  in  fancy  again  living  through 
the  events  of  the  last  hour — she  pictured  herself  in  the 
small  open  boat  tossed  on  the  angry  waves ;  far  away 
across  the  seething  waters  she  saw  the  tall  trireme — 
saw  it  tack  to  enter  the  bay.  It  was  all  vividly  before 
her.  And  then  the  moment  when  the  slave  flung  the 
rescuing  rope !  who  was  the  man  who  stood,  calm  and 
proud,  leaning  over  the  bulwarks,  undisturbed  by  the 
wrath  of  Nature  ?  She  remembered  exactly  how  he  had 
looked — how  at  the  sight  of  that  noble  figure,  which 

42.  THE    LOBSTER,   (cammarus),  was  less  highly  esteemed  by 
the  Romans  than  among  ourselves.      See  Plin.  Ep.  II,  17.      "The 
sea,  it  is  true,  has  no  superabundance  of  delicious  fish ;  yet  it  gives  us 
excellent  soles  and  lobsters"  —  a  passage  in  which  lobsters  are  con- 
trasted with  delicious  fish. 

43.  CUT  CRYSTAL.    Window  panes  of  glass  (vitrum)  mica  plates 
(lapis  specularis]  and  similar  materials  were  by  no  means  rare  in  ancient 
times. 

44.  MENANDER,  son  of  the  general  Diopeithes,  B.  C.  342.    The 
most  distinguished  poet  of  the  New  Comedy;  fragments  of  his  come- 
dies have  come  down  to  us. 


QUINTUS   CLAUDIUS.  17 

seemed  as  though  it  could  rule  the  storm,  a  sudden 
sense  of  safety  had  come  over  her,  like  a  magical  spell. 
Then,  when  she  found  herself  on  board !  At  first  she 
had  felt  ready  to  sob  and  cry  like  Baucis ;  but  the  sound 
of  his  voice,  the  wonderful  look  of  gentle  strength  that 
shone  in  his  face,  controlled  her  to  composure.  Only 
once  in  her  life  had  she  ever  felt  like  this  before ;  it  was 
two  or  three  years  since,  when  she  was  out  on  an  excur- 
sion to  Tibur45  with  her  illustrious  father.  Their  Cappa- 
docian  horses46  had  shied,  reared,  and  then  galloped  off 
like  the  whirlwind.  The  driver  was  flung  from  his  seat 
—  the  chariot  was  being  torn  along  close  to  the  edge 
of  a  towering  cliff — her  father  had  seized  the  floating 
reins  just  in  time,  and  quietly  saying :  "  Do  not  be 
frightened,  my  child,"  in  five  seconds  the  horses  were 
standing  still  as  if  rooted  to  the  spot.  The  feeling  she 
had  had  then,  had  to-day  been  vividly  revived — and 
yet,  how  dissimilar  were  the  two  men  in  age,  appearance 
and  position!  —  It  was  strange.  And  once  more  she 
glanced  at  the  face  of  their  host,  which  was  glowing 
with  animation  as  he  talked. 

Suddenly  the  head  oarsman's  time-marking  hammer 
ceased ;  the  bright  spot  of  light  cast  by  the  sun  through 
the  glass  skylight  on  to  the  panelled  wall,  described  a 
brief  orbit  and  then  vanished;  the  vessel  had  swung 
round  and  was  at  anchor. 

"  Madam,"  said  Aurelius  to  Octavia,  "  allow  me  to 
offer  you  my  services.  We  Northmen  rarely  use  litters,47 

45.  TIBUR.    A  favorite  summer  resort  of  the  Roman  aristocracy, 
now  Tivoli. 

46.  CAPPADOCIAN  HORSES.     The  province  of  Cappadocia  in 
Asia  Minor  was  famed  for  its  horses. 

47.  LITTERS  (lectica).    The  usual  conveyance,  somewhat  resem- 
bling the  Oriental  palanquin,  were  supplied  with  rich  curtains  (vela) 
and  in  other  respects  became  the  object  of  luxurious  decorations.  The 

Vol  /.  a 


l8  QUINTUS   CLAUDIUS. 

still — on  the  principle  that  a  wise  man  should  be  ready 
for  all  emergencies — Herodianus  has  provided  my 
galley  with  that  convenience." 

"And  the  litters  are  already  awaiting  your  com- 
mands on  deck,"  added  the  freedman. 

"  You  have  surpassed  yourself,  Herodianus !  Well, 
then,  whenever  it  is  your  pleasure .  .  .  ." 

"  Then  it  is  settled,"  said  Octavia,  going  to  the  door. 
"  For  a  few  days  you  will  be  my  guest." 

"  For  as  long  as  you  will  allow,"  Aurelius  would 
have  said;  but  he  thought  better  of  it  and  only  bowed 
in  answer. 


CHAPTER  II. 

THE  squall  had  completely  died  away ;  the  waves 
were  still  tossing  and  tumbling  in  the  bay,  but  the 
streamers  of  the  crowd  of  barks,  which  lay  under  the 
shore,  hardly  fluttered  in  the  breeze,  and  the  fishing- 
boats  were  putting  out  to  sea  in  little  fleets. 

Gay  and  busy  was  the  scene  on  the  quays  of  Baiae ; 
distinguished  visitors  from  every  part  of  the  vast  empire 
were  driving,  riding  or  walking  on  the  lava-paved48  sea- 
wall, and  the  long  roads  round  the  harbor.  Elegantly- 
dressed  ladies  in  magnificent  litters  were  borne  by 

number  of  litter-bearers  (lecticarii,  calottes)  varied  from  two  to  eight.  la 
the  city  of  Rome  itself,  where  riding  in  carriages  was  not  allowed 
during  the  day-time,  the  lecticae  took  the  place  of  our  carriages  and 
hacks,  for  they  could  also  be  hired  by  the  hour,  and  there  were  stands 
of  them  (castra  lecticariorum)  in  several  frequented  quarters. 

48.  LAVA  BLOCKS.  The  usual  material  for  pavements  in  central 
and  southern  Italy. 


QUINTUS   CLAUDIUS.  ig 

Sicambri49  in  red  livery,5*  or  by  woolly-headed  Ethio- 
pians.51 Lower  down  a  crowd  of  sailors  shouted  and 
struggled,  and  weather-beaten  porters  in  Phrygian  caps 
urgently  offered  their  services,  while  vendors  of  cakes 
and  fruit  shrilly  advertised  the  quality  of  their  fragrant 
goods.  Behind  this  bustling  foreground  of  unresting  and 
eager  activity  rose  the  amphitheatre  of  buildings  that 
composed  the  town.  Aurelius  had  been  charmed  with 
Panormus  and  Gades,  but  he  now  had  to  confess  that 
they  both  must  yield  the  palm  in  comparison  with  this, 
the  finest  pleasure-resort  and  bathing-place  in  the  world. 
Palace  was  ranged  above  palace,  villa  beyond  villa, 
temple  above  temple.  Amid  an  ocean  of  greenery  stood 
statues,  halls,  theatres  and  baths  ;58  as  far  round  as  the 
promontory  of  Misenum  the  shores  of  the  bay  were 
one  long  town  of  villas,  gorgeous  with  the  combined 
splendors  of  wealth,  and  of  natural  beauty. 

The  two  ladies  and  their  cortege  proceeded  for  some 
distance  along  the  shore  of  the  harbor,  and  then  turned 
up-hill  in  the  direction  of  Cumae.53  In  front  walked 

49.  SICAMBRI.    A  powerful  German  tribe,  occupying  in  the  time  of 
Caesar  the  eastern  bank  of  the  Rhine,  and  extending  from  the  Sieg  to 
the  Lippe. 

50.  RED  LIVERY.    The  usual  costume  of  the  litter-bearers  in  the 
time  of  the  emperors. 

51.  WOOLLY-HEADED    ETHIOPIANS.      The   name   Ethiopian 
AidiWesin  its  more  restricted  sense,  applies  to  the  inhabitants  of  Upper 
Egypt ;  in  a  more  general  meaning  to  the  whole  population  of  North- 
eastern Africa,  and  South-western  Asia.      According  to  Herodotus 
(VII,  70)  the  Ethiopians  dwelling  in  the  East  had  smooth,  those  in 
the  West  woolly  hair. 

52.  BATHS  (thermae,  de^tou,  that  is  "warm  baths")  were  public 
bathing-establishments    on  the  grandest    scale,  modelled  after  the 
Greek  wrestling-schools.    See  Becker,  Callus  III,  p.  68  and  following. 

53.  CUMAE  (KV/*TJ)  now  Cuma,  the  oldest  of  the  Greek  colonies 
in  Italy,  beyond  the  mountain  range  that  bounds  the  bay  of  Baja  on 
the  west;  it  is  only  a  few  thousand  paces  from  Baja. 


20  QUINTUS   CLAUDIUS. 

eight  or  ten  slaves54  who  cleared  the  way;  then  came 
Octavia,  her  litter  borne  by  six  bronze-hued  Lusitanians.55 
Claudia  shared  her  litter  with  Baucis,  while  Herodianus, 
Magus,  Octavia's  rowers,  and  a  few  servants  with  various 
bundles  followed  on  foot.  Atirelius  had  mounted  his 
liispanian  horse  and  rode  by  the  side  of  the  little  cara- 
van, sometimes  in  front,  sometimes  behind,  and  enquir- 
ing the  way,  now  of  Octavia  and  now  of  Claudia  and 
Baucis. 

"  Our  villa  is  quite  at  the  top  of  the  ridge,"  said 
Claudia.  "  There,  where  the  holm  oaks  come  down  to 
the  fig  gardens." 

"  What  ?"  cried  Aurelius  in  surprise.  "  That  great 
pillared  building,  half  buried  in  the  woods  to  the  left  ?" 

"No,  no,"  said  the  girl  laughing;  "the  gods  have 
not  housed  us  so  magnificently.  To  the  right — that 
little  villa  in  the  knoll." 

"  Ah !"  cried  the  Batavian ;  the  disappointment  was 
evidently  a  very  pleasant  one.  "  And  whose  is  that  vast 
palace?" 

"  It  belongs  to  Domitia,  Caesar's  wife.  Since  she 
has  lived  separate  from  her  imperial  lord,  she  always 
spends  the  summer  here." 

The  road  grew  steeper  as  they  mounted. 

"  Oh  merciful  power !"  sighed  the  worthy  Baucis, 
"  to  think  that  these  fine  young  men  should  be  made  to 
toil  thus  for  an  old  woman !  By  Osiris  t  I  am  ashamed 
of  myself.  To  carry  you,  sweet  Claudia,  is  indeed  a 
pleasure — but  me,  wrinkled  old  Baucis !  If  I  had  not 

54.  INFRONT  WALKED  EIGHT  OR  TEN  SLAVES.  Such  a  vanguard 
was  customary  among  people  of  distinction,  even  when  they  went  on 
foot. 

55.  LUSITANIANS.    A  people  living  in  the  region  now  known  as 
Portugal,  between  the  Tagus  ( Tajo,  Tejo)  and  Durius,  (Duero,  Douro.) 


QUINTUS   CLAUDIUS.  31 

sprained  my  ribs — as  sure  as  I  live....!  But  I  will 
reward  them  for  it ;  each  man  shall  have  a  little  jar  of 
Nile-water." 

"  Do  not  be  uneasy  on  their  account,"  said  Herod- 
ianus,  wiping  his  brow.  '"Our  Northmen  are  used  to 
heavier  burdens!"  Then,  turning  to  Magus,  he  went 
on:  "By  all  the  gods,  I  entreat  you — a  draught  of 
Caecubum  !5<5  I  am  bound  to  carry  this  weary  load,"  and 
he  slapped  his  round  paunch,  "  this  Erymanthian  boar,57" 
like  a  second  Hercules,  to  the  top  of  the  hill  on  my  own 
unaided  legs !  and  I  am  dropping  with  exhaustion." 

The  Goth  smiled  and  signed  to  one  of  the  slaves, 
who  was  carrying  wine  and  other  refreshments. 

"  The  wine  of  Caecubus,"  said  Herodianus,  "  is 
especially  good  against  fatigue.  Dionysus,58  gracious 
giver,  I  sacrifice  to  thee !"  and  as  he  spoke  he  shed  a 
few  drops  as  a  libation59  on  the  earth  and  then  emptied 
the  cup  with  the  promptitude  of  a  practised  drinker. 

In  about  twenty  minutes  more  they  reached  Octavia's 
house;  in  the  vestibule60  a  young  girl  came  running  out 
to  meet  them. 

"  Mother,  dear,  sweet  mother !"  she  cried  excitedly, 
"  and  Claudia,  my  darling !  Here  you  are  at  last.  Oh  I 

56.  CAECUBUM.    A  district  on  the  shores  of  the  bay  of  Gaeta, 
famous  for  its  wine.     See  (Horace  Od.  I,  20,  9  and  I,  37,  5)  where  it  is 
said,  that  it  would  be  positively  sinful  to  bring  Caecubian  wine  from 
the  cellar  with  other  kinds  on  ordinary  occasions  (antehac  ntfas  depro- 
mere  Caecubum  edits  avitis,  etc.). 

57.  ERYMANTHIAN  BOAR.    So  called  from  Mt.  Erymanthus  in 
Arcadia,  where  the  animal  lived  until  slain  by  Hercules. 

58.  DIONYSUS.  A  surname  of  Bacchus. 

59.  LIBATION.    Wine  poured  as  an  offering  to  the  gods. 

60.  VESTIBULUM.    The  space  in  front  of  the  house-door  (fores) 
which  in  the  time  of  the  imperial  government  was  frequently  covered 
with  a  portico. 


22  QUINTUS  CLAUDIUS. 

we  have  been  so  dreadfully  frightened,  Quintus  and  I ; 
that  awful  storm !  the  whole  bay  was  churned  up,  as 
white  as  milk.  But  oh !  I  am  glad  to  have  you  safe 
again !  Quintus !  Quintus !...." 

And  she  flew  back  into  the  house,  where  they  heard 
her  fresh,  happy  voice  still  calling  :  "  Quintus  !" 

"  My  adopted  daughter,"61  said  Octavia,  in  answer  to 
an  enquiring  glance  from  Aurelius. 

"  Lucilia,"  added  Claudia,  "  whom  I  love  as  if  she 
vere  my  own  real  sister." 

Aurelius,  who  had  sprung  from  his  horse,  throwing 
the  bridle  to  his  faithful  Magus,  was  on  the  point  of  con- 
ducting Octavia  into  the  atrium,63  when  a  youth  of  re- 
markable beauty  appeared  in  the  door-way  and  silently 
clasped  this  lady  in  his  arms.  Then  he  pressed  a  long 
and  loving  kiss  on  Claudia's  lips,  and  it  was  not  till  after 
he  had  thus  welcomed  the  mother  and  daughter,  that  he 
turned  hesitatingly  to  Aurelius,  who  stood  on  one  side 
blushing  deeply ;  a  sign  from  Octavia  postponed  all  ex- 
planation. The  whole  party  entered  the  house,  and  it 
was  not  till  they  were  standing  in  the  pillared  hall,  where 
marble  seats  piled  with  cushions  invited  them  to  repose, 

61.  ADOPTED  DAUGHTER.  The  adoption  of  a  child  in  ancient 
Rome  was  regulated  by  very  strict  laws.  Adoption  in  its  narrower 
sense  (adoptio]  extended  to  persons  who  were  still  under  paternal  au- 
thority ;  with  self-dependent  persons  the  so-called  arrogatio  took  place. 
With  women  this  last  form  was  entirely  excluded. 

62.  ATRIUM.  From  the  door  of  the  house  a  narrow  passage  (ostium) 
led  to  the  first  inner  court,  the  atrium,  so-called  because  this  space, 
where  the  hearth  originally  was,  was  blackened  by  the  smoke  (ater). 
The  atrium,  which  in  the  more  ancient  Roman  houses  possessed  the 
character  of  a  room  with  a  comparatively  small  opening  in  the  roof, 
and  afterwards  resembled  a  court-yard,  was  at  first  the  central  point  of 
family  life,  the  sitting-room,  where  the  industrious  house-keeper  sat 
enthroned  among  her  slaves.  When  republican  simplicity  gave  way 
to  luxury,  the  atrium  became  the  hall  devoted  to  the  reception  of 
guests,  and  domestic  life  was  confined  to  the  more  retired  apartments. 


QUINTUS   CLAUDIUS.  23 

that  Octavia  said  to  the  astonished  youth  with  a  certain 
solemnity  of  mien : 

"  Quintus,  my  son,  it  is  to  this  stranger — the  noble 
and  illustrious  Caius  Aurelius  Menapius,  of  Trajectum, 
in  the  land  of  the  Batavi — that  you  owe  it  that  you  see 
us  here  now.  He  took  us  on  board  his  trireme,  for  our 
boat  was  sinking.  I  declare  myself  his  debtor  henceforth 
forever.  Do  you,  on  your  part,  show  him  all  the  hos- 
pitality and  regard  that  he  deserves."  Quintus  came 
forward  and  embraced  Aurelius. 

"  I  hope,  my  lord,"  he  said  with  an  engaging  smile, 
"  that  you  will  for  some  time  give  us  the  honor  of  your 
company  and  so  give  us,  your  debtors,  the  opportunity 
we  desire  of  becoming  your  friends." 

"  He  has  already  promised  to  do  so,"  said  Octavia. 

Lucilia  now  joined  them,  having  put  on  a  handsomer 
dress  in  honor  of  the  stranger,  and  stuck  a  rose  into  her 
chestnut  hair ;  she  sat  down  by  Claudia  and  took  her 
hand,  leaning  her  head  against  her  shoulder. 

"  But  tell  us  the  whole  story !"  cried  Quintus.  "  I 
am  burning  to  hear  a  full  and  exact  account  of  your 
adventure." 

Octavia  told  her  tale ;  one  thing  gave  ri«e  to  another, 
and  before  they  thought  it  possible,  it  was  the  hour  for 
dinner — the  first  serious  meal  of  the  day,  at  about  noon 
— and  they  adjourned  to  the  triclinium.63 

Under  no  circumstances  do  people  so  soon  wax  inti- 
mate as  at  meals.  Aurelius,  who  until  now  had  listened 
more  than  he  had  spoken,  soon  became  talkative  under 
the  cool  and  comfortable  vaulted  roof  of  the  eating- 

63.  TRICLINIUM,  (triple  couch)  really  the  sofa  on  which  three,  and 
sometimes  even  more  persons  reclined  at  table ;  the  name  was  also 
given  to  the  dining-room  itself,  which  comprised  the  second  inner 
court-yard,  the  so-called  peristyle  or  cavaedium. 


24  QUINTUS  CLAUDIUS. 

room,  and  he  grew  quite  eager  and  vivacious  as  he  told 
of  his  long  and  dangerous  voyage,  of  the  towns  he  had 
visited,  and  particularly  of  his  distant  home  in  the  north. 
He  spoke  of  his  distinguished  father,  who,  as  a  mer- 
chant, had  travelled  eastwards  to  the  remote  lands  east  of 
the  peninsula  of  the  Cimbri64  and  to  the  fog-veiled  shores 
of  the  Guttoni,65  the  Aestui66  and  the  Scandii;67  indeed 
Aurelius  himself  knew  much  of  the  wonders  and  pecu- 
liarities of  these  little-visited  lands,  for  he  had  three 
times  accompanied  his  father.  Many  a  time  on  these 
expeditions  had  they  passed  the  night  in  lonely  settle- 
ments or  hamlets,  where  not  a  soul  among  the  natives 
understood  the  Roman  tongue,  where  the  bear  and  the 
aurochs  fought  in  the  neighboring  woods,  or  eternal  ter- 
rors brooded  over  the  boundless  plain. 

These  pictures  of  inhospitable  and  desert  regions, 
which  Aurelius  so  vividly  brought  before  their  fancy, 
were  those  which  best  pleased  his  hearers.  Here,  close 
to  the  luxurious  town,  and  surrounded  by  everything 
that  could  add  comfort  and  enjoyment  to  life,  the  idea 
of  perils  so  remote  seemed  to  double  their  appreciation.68 
When  they  rose  from  table  the  ladies  withdrew,  to  indulge 
in  that  private  repose  which  was  customary  of  an  after- 
noon. Lucilia  could  not  forbear  whispering  to  her 
companion,  that  she  would  far  rather  have  remained 
with  the  young  men — that  Aurelius  was  a  quite  delight- 

64.  CIMBRIAN  PENINSULA,  now  called  Jutland. 

65.  GUTTONI.    A  German  race  on  the  lower  Vistula. 

66.  AESTUI.    A  German  race  living  on  the  coast  of  Revel. 

67.  SCANDII.    Inhabitants  of  southern  Sweden. 

68.  THE  SENSE  OF  CONTRAST  WHS  a  conspicuous  trait  in  Roman 
character.     They  were  wont  to  heighten  their  appreciation  of  the  joys 
of  life  by  images  of  death,  and  the  dining-room  was  intentionally 
placed  so  as  to  afford  a  view  of  tombs. 


QUINTUS    CLAUDIUS.   "  25 

ful  creature,  modest  and  frank,  and  at  the  same  time 
upright  and  steady — a  rock  in  the  sea  on  which  the 
Pharos  of  a  life's  happiness  might  be  securely  founded. 

"  You  know,"  she  added  earnestly,  while  her  eyes 
sparkled  with  excitement  from  under  her  thick  curls, 
"  Quintus  is  far  handsomer — he  is  exactly  like  the 
Apollo  in  the  Golden  House  **  by  the  Esquiline.  But  he 
is  also  like  the  gods,  in  that  he  is  apt  to  vanish  suddenly 
behind  a  cloud,  and  is  gone.  Now  Aurelius,  or  my  soul 
deceives  me,  would  be  constant  to  those  he  loved.  It 
is  a  pity  that  his  rank  is  no  higher  than  that  of  knight, 
and  that  he  is  so  unlucky  as  to  be  a  native  of  Trajectum." 

"  Oh !  you  thorough  Roman !"  laughed  Claudia. 
"  No  one  is  good  for  anything  in  your  eyes,  that  was  not 
born  within  sight  of  the  Seven  Hills."70 

She  put  her  arm  round  her  gay  companion,  and  car- 
ried her  off  half-resisting  to  their  quiet  sleeping-room. 

Neither  Quintus  nor  Aurelius  cared  to  follow  the 


69.  THE  GOLDEN  HOUSE  (domufaurea).  The  name  given  to  the 
magnificent  palace  of  Nero,  which  extended  from  the  Palatine  Hill 
across  the  valley  and  up  again  as  far  as  the  gardens  of  Macaenas  on 
the  Esquiline.      It  contained  an  enormous  number  of  the  choicest 
works  in  statuary.    Vespasian  had  a  large  part  of  this  building  pulled 
down. 

70.  THE  SEVEN  HILLS.  Contempt  for  all  who  lived  in  the  provinces 
was  peculiar  to  all  Romans,  even  the  lowest  classes  of  the  populace. 
Thus  Cicero  says :     "Cum  infimo  cive  romano  quisquam  amplissimus 
Galliae  comparandus  estf"     (Can  even  the  most  distinguished  Gaul  be 
compared  with  the  humblest  Roman  citizen  ?)  This  prejudice  extended 
to  later  centuries,  though  under  the  first  emperors  numerous  inhabi- 
tants of  the  provinces  attained  the  rank  of  senator  and  reached  the 
highest  offices.     It  is  very  comical,  when  Juvenal,  a  freedman's  son, 
treats  the  "knights  from  Asia  Minor,"  (Equites  Asiani)  condescend- 
ingly, as  if  they  were  intruders,  unworthy  to  unfasten  the  straps  of  his 
sandals.  Inhabitants  of  the  other  provinces  were  held  in  higher  esteem 
than  the  Greeks  and  Orientals.  But  even  Tacitus  (Ann.  IV,  3.)  regards 
it  as  an  aggravation  of  the  crime  committed  by  the  wife  of  Drusus,-  that 
Sejanus,  for  whom  she  broke  her  marriage-vow,  was  not  a  full-blooded 
Roman,  but  merely  a  knight  from  Volsinii. 


26  QUINTUS   CLAUDIUS. 

example  of  the  ladies — not  the  Roman,  for  he  had  slepr 
on  late  into  the  day — nor  the  stranger,  for  the  excite- 
ment of  this  eventful  morning  had  fevered  his  blood. 
Besides,  there  was  the  temptation  of  an  atmosphere  as 
of  Paradise,  uniting  the  glory  and  plenitude  of  summer 
with  the  fresh  transparency  of  autumn.  During  dinner 
Aurelius  had  turned  again  and  again  to  look  through 
the  wide  door-way  at  the  beautiful  scene  without,  and 
now  he  crossed  the  threshold  and  rilled  his  spirit  with 
the  loveliness  before  him.  Here  was  not — as  in  the 
formal  gardens  of  Rome71 — a  parterre  where  everything 
was  planned  by  line  and  square;  here  were  no  trained 
trees  and  hedges,  circular  beds  or  clipped  shrubs.  All 
was  free  and  wholesome  Nature,  lavish  and  thriving 
vitality.  The  paths  alone,  leading  from  the  villa  in  three 
directions  into  the  wood,  betrayed  the  care  of  man. 
The  whole  vegetation  of  the  happy  land  of  Campania 
seemed  to  have  been  brought  together  on  the  slope 
below.  Huge  plane-trees,  on  which  vines  hung  their 
garlands,  lifted  their  heads  above  the  holm-oaks  and 
gnarled  quinces.  The  broad-leaved  fig  glistened  by  the 

71.  THE  FORMAL  GARDENS  OF  ROME.  The  taste  of  the  Romans 
in  regard  to  the  art  of  gardening  resembled  that  shown  at  Versailles. 
The  eloquence  with  which  individual  authors  urge  a  return  to  nature 
(Hor.  Epist.  I,  lo,  Prop.  I,  2,  Juv.  Sat.  Ill,  etc., )  only  proves  that  the 
opposite  course  was  universal.  Clipping  bushes  and  trees  into  artificial 
forms  was  considered  specially  fashionable.  Thus  Pliny  the  younger, 
in  his  description  of  the  Tuscan  villa  (Ep.  V,  6.)  writes  :  "  Before  the 
colonnade  is  an  open  terrace,  surrounded  with  box,  the  trees  clipped 
into  various  shapes  ;  below  it  a  steep  slope  of  lawn,  at  whose  foot,  on 
both  sides  of  the  path,  stand  bushes  of  box,  shaped  into  the  forms  of 
various  animals.  On  the  level  ground  the  acanthus  grows  delicately,  I 
might  almost  say  transparently.  Around  it  is  a  hedge  of  thick  closely^ 
clipped  bushes,  and  around  this  hedge  runs  an  avenue  of  circular  form, 
adorned  with  box  clipped  into  various  shapes,  and  small  trees  artisti- 
cally trimmed.  The  whole  is  surrounded  by  a  wall,  concealed  by  box." 
Then  towards  the  end  of  the  letter :  "  The  box  is  clipped  into  a  thous- 
and shapes,  sometimes  into  letters,  that  form  the  name  of  the  owner 
or  gardener." 


QUINTUS   CLAUDIUS.  27 

side  of  the  grey-green  olive;  here  stood  a  clump  of 
stalwart  pines,  there  wide-spreading  walnuts  and  slender 
poplars.  Below  them  was  a  wild  confusion  of  brush- 
wood and  creepers ;  ivy,  periwinkle  and  acanthus  en- 
tangled the  giants  of  the  wood  with  an  inextricable  net- 
work. Maiden-hair  hung  in  luxuriant  tufts  above  the 
myrtles  and  bays,  and  sombre  evergreens  contrasted  with 
the  brilliant  centifolia.  In  short  the  whole  plant-world 
of  southern  Italy  here  held  an  intoxicating  orgy. 
Quintus  seemed  to  divine  the  thoughts  of  the  young 
Northman,  and  put  his  hand  confidingly  through  his 
guest's  arm,  and  so  they  walked  on,  taking  the  middle 
path  of  the  three  before  them,  and  gently  mounting  the 
hill. 

"  I  can  see,"  said  Quintus,  "  that  you  are  a  lover  of 
Nature;  I  quite  understand  that  a  garden  at  Baiae 
must  seem  enchanting  to  you,  who  came  hither  from  the 
region  of  Boreas  himself,  where  the  birch  and  the  beech 
can  scarcely  thrive.  But  you  can  only  form  a  complete 
idea  of  it  from  the  top  of  the  hill ;  we  have  built  a  sort  of 
temple  there  and  the  view  is  unequalled " 

•'  You  are  greatly  to  be  envied,"  said  Aurelius,  "  And 
how  is  it  that  Titus  Claudius,  your  illustrious  father,  does 
not  enjoy  himself  on  this  lovely  estate,  instead  of  living 
in  Rome  as  I  hear  he  does  ?" 

"  As  priest  to  the  temple  of  Jupiter  Capitolinus78  he  is 
tied  to  the  capital.  The  rules  forbid  his  ever  quitting  it 
for  more  than  a  night  at  a  time.  Dignity,  you  see,  brings 
its  own  "burdens,  and  not  even  the  greatest  can  have 
everything  their  own  way.  Many  a  time  has  my 

72.  JUPITER  CAPITOLINUS.  The  priests  of  certain  divinities 
were  called  Flamines  and  the  chief  of  these  was  the  Flamen  Dialis  or 
priest  of  Jupiter — called  Capitolinus  from  the  hill  on  which  the  temple 
stood.  Tacitus  (Ann  III,  71,)  tells  us  of  the  prohibition  here  spoken  of. 


28  QUINTUS   CLAUDIUS. 

father  longed  to  be  away  from  the  turbulent  metropolis 
— but  no  god  has  broken  his  chains.  Unfulfilled  desires 
are  the  lot  of  all  men." 

He  spoke  with  such  emphasis,  that  the  stranger 
glanced  at  him. 

"  What  desire  of  yours  can  be  unfulfilled  ?" 

A  meaning  smile  parted  the  Roman's  lips. 

"  If  you  are  thinking  of  things  which  gold  and  silver 
will  purchase,  certainly  I  lack  little.  Everything  may  be 
had  in  Rome  for  money;  everything — excepting  one 
thing ;  the  stilling  of  our  craving  for  happiness." 

"  What  do  you  understand  by  that  ?" 

"  Can  you  ask  me  ?  I,  here  and  as  you  see  me,  am 
a  favorite  of  fortune,  rich  and  independent  by  my  grand- 
father's will,  which  left  me  possessed  of  several  millions 
at  an  early  age — as  free  and  healthy  as  a  bird — strong 
and  well-grown  and  expert  in  all  that  is  expected  of  a 
young  fellow  in  my  position.  I  had  hardly  to  do  more 
than  put  out  my  hand,  to  acquire  the  most  influential 
position  and  the  highest  offices  and  honors — to  become 
Praetor  or  Consul.73  I  am  well  received  at  court,  and  look 
boldly  in  the  face  of  Caesar,  before  whom  so  many 
tremble.  I  am  betrothed  to  a  maiden  as  fair  as  Aphro- 
dite herself,  and  a  hundred  others,  no  less  fair,  would 
give  years  of  their  lives  to  call  me  their  lover  for  a  week 
— and  yet — have  you  ever  felt  what  it  is  to  loathe  your 
existence  ?" 

"  No !"  said  Aurelius. 

"  Then  you  are  divine,  among  mortals.  You  see, 
weeks  and  months  go  by  in  the  turmoil  of  enjoyment; 

73.  THE  PRAETORSHIP  AND  CONSULSHIP  were  still,  under  the 
emperors,  an  object  of  ardent  desire,  in  spite  of  the  fact  that  these 
offices  had  been  stripped  of  all  power. 


QUINTUS   CLAUDIUS.  29 

the  bewildered  brain  is  incapable  of  following  it  all — 
then  life  is  endurable.  My  cup  wreathed  with  roses,  a 
fiery-eyed  dancer  from  Gades74  by  my  side,  floating  on  the. 
giddy  whirl  of  luxury,  as  mad  and  thoughtless  as  a 
thyrsus-bearer75  at  the  feast  of  Dionysus — under  such 
conditions  I  can  bear  it  for  a  while.  But  here,  where 
my  unoccupied  mind  is  thrown  back  upon  itself. ..." 

"  But  what  you  say,"  interrupted  Anrelius,  "  proves 
not  that  you  are  satiated  with  the  joys  of  life,  so  much 
as — you  will  forgive  my  plainness — that  you  are 
satiated  with  excess.  You  are  betrothed,  you  say,  and 
yet  you  can  feel  a  flame  for  a  fiery-eyed  Gaditanian.  In 
my  country  a  man  keeps  away  from  all  other  girls,  when 
he  has  chosen  his  bride." 

"  Oh  yes !  I  know  that  morality  has  taken  refuge  in 
the  provinces,"  said  Quintus  ironically.  "  But  the  youth 
of  Rome  go  to  work  somewhat  differently,  and  no  one 
thinks  the  worse  of  us  for  it.  Of  course  we  avoid  pub- 
lic comment,  which  otherwise  is  anxiously  courted — but 
we  live  nevertheless  just  as  the  humor  takes  us." 

Aurelius  shook  his  head  doubtfully. 

"  Well,  well,"  said  Quintus.  "  You  good  folks  in  the 
north  have  a  stricter  code — Tacitus  describes  the  savage 
Germanic  tribes  as  almost  equally  severe.  But  Rome  is 
Roman. — No  prayers  can  alter  that;  and  after  all  you 
get  used  to  it !  I  believe  Cornelia  herself  would  hardly 
scold  if  she  heard ....  Besides,  it  is  in  the  air.  Old  Cato 
has  long,  long  been  forgotten,  and  the  new  Babylon  by 
the  Tiber  wants  pleasure — will  have  pleasure,  for  in 

74.  GADES,  now  Cadiz,  was  famous  for  its  dancers  of  easy  mor- 
ality.   (See  Juv.  Sat.  XI,  162.) 

75.  THYRSUS,  (#v<?<ro?)  a  pole  or  wand  wreathed  with  vine  and  ivy 
leaves,  and  borne  by  Bacchus  and  by  Bacchantes. 


'30  QUINTUS   CLAUDIUS. 

pleasure  alone  can  she  find  her  vocation  and  the  justifi- 
cation of  her  existence." 

"And  does  your  bride  live  in  the  capital  ?"  asked 
Aurelius  after  a  pause. 

"  At  Tibur,"  replied  Quintus.  "  Her  uncle,  Cornelius 
Cinna,  avoids  the  neighborhood  of  the  court  on  princi- 
ple. The  fact  that  Domitia  resides  here  is  quite  enough 
to  make  him  hate  Baiae — although,  as  you  know, 
Domitia  has  long  ceased  to  belong  to  Caesar's  court." 

Aurelius  was  silent.  Often  had  his  worldly-wise  father 
warned  him  never  to  speak  of  affairs  of  state  or  even  of 
the  throne,  excepting  in  the  narrowest  circle  of  his  most 
trusted  friends ;  under  the  reign  of  terror  of  Domitian, 
the  most  trivial  remark  might  prove  fateful  to  the 
speaker.  The  numerous  spies,  known  as  delators,  who 
had  found  their  way  everywhere,  scenting  their  prey, 
had  undermined  all  mutual  confidence  and  trust  to  such 
an  extent  that  friends  feared  each  other;  the  patron 
trembled  before  his  client,  and  the  master  before  his 
slave.  Although  the  manner  and  address  of  his  host 
invited  confidence,  caution  was  always  on  the  safe  side, 
all  the  more  so  as  the  young  Roman  was  evidently  an 
ally  of  the  court  party.  So  the  Northman  checked  the 
utterance  of  that  fierce  patriotism,  which  the  hated  name 
of  Domitian  had  so  painfully  stirred  in  his  soul.  "  Un- 
happy Rome !"  thought  he :  "  What  can  and  must  become 
of  you,  if  men  like  this  Quintus  have  no  feeling  for 
your  disgrace  and  needs  ?" 

The  next  turn  in  the  path  brought  them  within  sight 
of  the  little  temple;  marble  steps,  half  covered  with 
creepers,  led  through  a  Corinthian  portico  into  the  airy 
hall  withino  The  panorama  from  this  spot  was  indeed 
magnificent;  far  below  lay  the .  blue  waters  pf  the  bay, 


QUINTUS   CLAUDIUS.  31 

with  the  stupendous  bridge  of  Nero ; 76  farther  away  lay 
Baiae  with  its  thousand  palaces  and  the  forest  of  masts 
by  Puteoli ;  beyond  these,  Parthenope,  beautiful  Surren- 
tum,77  and  the  shining  islands  bathed  by  the  boundless 
sea ;  the  vaporous  cloud  from  Vesuvius  hung  like  a  cone 
of  snow  in  the  still  blue  atmosphere.  To  the  north  the 
horizon  was  bounded  by  the  bay  of  Caieta78  the  Lucrine 
lake  and  the  wooded  slopes  of  Cumae.  The  foreground 
was  no  less  enchanting;  all  round  the  pavilion  lay  a 
verdurous  and  luxuriant  wilderness,  and  hardly  a  hun- 
dred paces  from  the  spot  rose  the  colossal  palace  of  the 
Empress,  shaded  by  venerable  trees.  The  mysterious 
silence  of  noon  brooded  over  the  whole  landscape ;  only 
a  faint  hum  of  life  came  up  from  the  seaport.  All  else 
was  still,  not  a  living  creature  seemed  to  breathe  within 
ear-shot .... 

Suddenly  a  sound  came  through  the  air,  like  a  sup- 
pressed  groan;  Aurelius  looked  round — out  there,  there 
where  the  branches  parted  in  an  arch  to  form  a  vista 
down  into  the  valley — there  was  a  white  object,  some- 
thing like  a  human  form.  The  young  foreigner  involun- 
tarily pointed  that  way. 

"  Look  there,  Quintus  I"  he  whispered  to  his  com- 
panion. 

"  That  is  part  of  the  Empress's  grounds,"  replied  the 
Roman. 

"  But  do  you  see  nothing  there  by  the  trunk  of  that 
plane-tree  ?  About  six — eight  paces  on  the  other  side  of 
the  laurel-hedge?  Hark  !  there  is  that  groan  again." 

76.  BRIDGE  OF  NERO.  One  of  this  emperor's  mad  undertakings 
was  the  construction,  at  an  enormous  expense,  of  a  perfectly  useless 
bridge  aslant  across  the  bay  of  Baiae. 

77.  SURRENTUM,  now  Sorrento. 

78.  CAIETA,  now.Qae'ta, 


32  QUINTUS   CLAUDIUS. 

"  Pah !  Some  slave  or  another  who  has  been  flogged. 
Stephanus,  Domitia's  steward,  is  one  of  those  who  know 
how  to  make  themselves  obeyed." 

"  But  it  was  such  a  deep,  heartrending  sigh !" 

"  No  doubt,"  laughed  Quintus ;  "  Stephanus  is  no 
trifler.  Where  his  lash  falls  the  skin  comes  off;  then  he 
is  apt  to  tie  up  the  men  he  has  flogged  in  the  wood  here, 
where  the  gnats " 

"  Hideous !"  cried  Aurelius  interrupting  him.  "  Let 
us  run  down  and  set  the  poor  wretch  free !" 

"  I  will  take  good  care  to  do  nothing  of  the  kind. 
We  have  no  right  in  the  world  to  do  such  a  thing." 

"  Well,  at  any  rate,  I  will  find  out  what  he  has  done 
wrong.  His  torturer's  brutality  makes  me  hot  with  indig- 
nation !" 

So  speaking  he  walked  straight  down  the  hill  through 
the  brushwood.  Quintus  followed,  not  over-pleased  at 
the  incident ;  and  he  was  very  near  giving  vent  to  his 
annoyance  when  a  swaying  branch  hit  him  sharply  on 
the  forehead.  But  the  native  courtesy,  the  urbanity79  or 
town  breeding,  which  distinguished  every  Roman,  pre- 
vailed, and  in  a  few  minutes  they  had  reached  the  laurel- 
hedge.  Quintus  was  surprised  to  find  himself  in  front  of 
a  tolerably  wide  gap,  which  could  not  have  been  made 
by  accident;  but  there  the  young  men  paused,  for 
Quintus  hesitated  to  trespass  on  the  Empress's  grounds. 

The  sight  which  met  his  eyes  was  a  common  one 
enough  to  the  blunted  nerves  of  the  Roman,  but  Aure- 
lius was  deeply  moved.  A  pale,  bearded  man,80  young, 

79.  URBANITAS.    Literally:  city  training. 

80.  A  PALE,  BEARDED  MAN.  Wearing  beards  first  became  gen- 
eral under  the  Emperor  Hadrian.    At  the  time  of  this  story  it  was  still 
the  custom  among  the  higher  classes  (but  not  among  the  lower  ones 
and  the  slaves)  to  shave  off  the  beard  after  the  twenty-first  year. 


QUINTUS    CLAUDIUS.  33 

but  with  a  singularly  resolute  expression,  stood  fettered 
to  a  wooden  post,  his  back  dreadfully  lacerated  by  a 
stick  or  lash,  while  swarms  of  insects  buzzed  round  his 
bleeding  body. 

"  Hapless  wretch !"  cried  Aurelius.  "  What  have 
you  done,  that  you  should  atone  for  it  so  cruelly  ?" 

The  slave  groaned,  glanced  up  to  heaven  and  said 
in  a  choked  voice : 

"  I  did  my  duty." 

"  And  are  men  punished  in  your  country  for  doing 
their  duty  ?"  asked  the  Batavian  frowning,  and,  unable 
any  longer  to  control  himself,  he  went  straight  up  to  the 
victim  and  prepared  to  release  him.  The  slave's  face 
lighted  up  with  pleasure. 

"  I  thank  you,  stranger,"  he  said  with  emotion,  "but 
if  you  were  to  release  me,  it  would  be  doing  me  an  ill- 
turn.  Fresh  torture  would  be  all  that  would  come  of  it. 
Let  me  be ;  I  have  borne  the  like  before  now ;  I  have 
only  another  hour  to  hold  out.  If  you  feel  kindly  tow- 
ards me,  go  away,  leave  me !  Woe  is  me  if  any  one 
sees  you  here !" 

Quintus  now  came  up  to  him ;  this  really  heroic 
resignation  excited  his  astonishment,  nay,  his  admira- 
tion. 

"  Man,"  said  he,  waving  away  the  swarm  of  gnats 
with  his  hand,  "  are  you  a  disciple  of  the  Stoa,81  or  your- 
self a  demi-god  ?  Who  in  the  world  has  taught  you  thus 
to  contemn  pain  ?" 

"  My  lord,"  replied  the  slave,  "  many  better  than  I 
have  endured  greater  suffering." 

81.  STOA.  The  school  of  the  stoics ;  so  named  from  the  pillared  hall 
(iroiKt'AT)  aroe.)  at  Athens,  where  Zeno,  the  founder,  taught.  The  doc- 
trine inculcated  was  the  subjugation  of  physical  and  moral  evil  by  in- 
dividual heroism. 

Vol.  L  « 


34  QUINTUS   CLAUDIUS. 

"Greater  suffering — yes,  but  to  greater  ends.  A 
Regulus,  a  Scaevola  have  suffered  for  their  country; 
but  you — a  wretched  slave,  a  grain  of  sand  among  mil- 
lions— you,  whose  sufferings  are  of  no  more  account 
than  the  death  of  a  trapped  jackal — where  do  you  find 
this  indomitable  courage  ?  What  god  has  endowed  you 
with  such  superhuman  strength  ?" 

A  beatific  smile  stole  over  the  man's  drawn  features. 

"  The  one  true  God,"  he  replied  with  fervent  emphasis, 
"  who  has  pity  on  the  feeble ;  the  all-merciful  God,  who 
loves  the  poor  and  abject." 

A  step  was  heard  approaching. 

"  Leave  me  here  alone !"  the  slave  implored  them. 
"  It  is  the  overseer." 

Quintus  and  Aurelius  withdrew  silently,  but  from  the 
top  of  the  copse  they  could  see  a  hump-backed  figure 
that  came  muttering  and  grumbling  up  to  where  the 
slave  was  bound,  released  him  presently  from  the  stake 
and  led  him  away  into  the  gardens.  For  a  minute  or 
two  longer  the  young  men  lingered  under  the  pavilion 
and  then,  lost  in  thought,  returned  to  the  house.  Their 
conversation  could  not  be  revived. 


CHAPTER  III. 

THE  second  serious  meal  of  the  day,  the  coena83  or 
supper  had  begun ;  the  party  had  betaken  themselves  to 

82.  COENA.  The  second  and  last  principal  meal  after  the  day's 
work  was  over.  Under  the  emperors  the  coena  began  about  half-past 
two  o'clock  in  the  afternoon,  in  winter  probably  somewhat  later.  It 
corresponded  in  its  relation  to  the  other  hours  of  the  day,  to  the 
"  diner"  of  the  French,  for  the  Romans  were  early  risers,  and  even 
among  the  aristocratic  classes  day  began  at  sunrise. 


QUINTUS    CLAUDIUS.  35 

the  cavaedium,*3  where  it  was  now  beginning  to  grow 
dusk.  This  airy  colonnade — the  handsomest  portion 
perhaps,  of  an  old  Roman  house — was  here  very  pleas- 
ingly decorated  with  flowers  and  plants  of  ornamental 
foliage.  The  arcades,  which  surrounded  the  open  space 
in  the  middle,  were  green  with  ivy,  while  an  emerald 
grass-plot,  with  cypresses  and  laurels,  magnolias  in  full 
bloom,  pomegranates  and  roses,  filled  up  half  the  quad- 
rangle. Twelve  statues  of  bronze  gilt  served  to  hold 
lamps,  and  a  fountain  tossed  its  sparkling  jet  as  high  as 
the  tallest  trees. 

For  some  time  the  party  sat  chatting  in  the  dusk ; 
then  two  slaves  came  in  with  torches  and  lighted  the 
lamps  of  the  twelve  statues ;  two  others  lighted  up  the 
arcades  so  that  the  painted  walls  and  their  purplish 
backgrounds  were  visible  far  across  the  court-yard.  A 
flute-player  from  Cumae  now  played  to  them  in  a  tender 
mode ;  she  stood  in  the  entrance,  dressed  in  the  Greek 
fashion,  with  her  abundant  hair  gathered  into  a  knot  and 
her  slender  fingers  gliding  up  and  down  the  stops  of  the 
instrument.  Her  features  were  sweet  and  pleasing,  her 
manner  soft  and  harmonious ;  only  from  time  to  time  a 
strange  expression  of  weariness  and  absence  of  mind 
passed  over  her  face.  When  she  had  done  playing,  she 
was  conducted  by  Baucis  to  the  back  gate.  She  took  the 
piece  of  silver  which  she  received  in  payment  with  an  air 
of  indifference,  and  then  bent  her  way  down  the  hill  to- 
wards Cumae,  which  already  lay  in  darkness. 

83.  CAVAEDIUM  or  peristyle  was  the  name  given  to  the  second 
court-yard  of  the  Roman  house,  which  was  connected  with  the  first  or 
atrium  by  one  or  two  corridors.  The  dining-room,  as  well  as  the 
study  of  the  master  of  the  house,  were  in  the  cavaedium.  The  space 
between  the  latter  and  the  atrium,  called  the  tablinum,  contained  the 
family  papers ;  it  was  the  business  office. 


36  QUINTUS    CLAUDIUS. 

"Allow  me  to  ask,"  said  Herodianus  to  Quintus, 
"  what  is  the  name  of  this  tunefully-gifted  damsel  ?" 

"  She  is  called  Euteq^e,  after  the  muse  who  presides 
over  her  art." 

"  Her  name  is  Arachne,"  added  Lucilia, "  but  Euterpe 
sounds  more  poetical." 

"  Euterpe!"  breathed  the  worthy  Herodianus. 
"  Heavenly  consonance  !  Is  she  a  Greek  ?" 

"  She  is  from  Etruria,  and  was  formerly  the  slave  of 
Marcus  Cocceius  Nerva,  who  freed  her.  She  married  in 
Cumae  not  long  since." 

"  As  strictly  historical  as  the  annals  of  Tacitus," 
laughed  Claudia. 

"  I  heard  it  all  from  Baucis." 

"  Wretched  old  magpie !"  exclaimed  Quintus,  inten- 
tionally raising  his  voice.  "If  she  could  not  gossip,  she 
would  lose  the  breath  of  life." 

"By  all  the  gods,  my  lord !"  exclaimed  Baucis,  laying 
her  hands  on  her  heart, "  you  are  calumniating  me  greatly 
— do  you  grudge  me  a  little  harmless  chat  ?  All-merci- 
ful Isis !  am  I  to  close  my  lips  with  wax  ?  No,  by 
Typhon84  the  cruel!  Besides,  I  must  instruct  the  daugh- 
ters of  the  house ;  it  is  for  that  that  I  eat  the  bitter  crust 
of  dependence  in  my  old  age.  Oh !  Baucis  knows  her 
duties ;  have  I  not  taught  Claudia  to  sing  and  play  the 
cithara  ?  Have  I  not  taught  Lucilia  more  than  a  dozen 
Egyptian  formulas  and  charms  ?  and  now  I  add  to  this 
a  little  sprinkling  of  knowledge  of  the  world  and  of 
men — and  you  call  it  gossip !  You  young  men  of  the 
present  day  are  polite,  I  must  say !" 

84.  TYPHON.  The  evil  genius  who  killed  Osiris.  (See  note 
32,  vol.  i.)  The  Greeks  regarded  him  as  a  monster  of  original  evil, 
the  personification  of  the  Simoom  and  other  destructive  hot  winds,  or 
of  the  primeval  force  of  volcanoes. 


QUINTUS   CLAUDIUS.  37 

"Then  you  sing  to  the  cithara?"*5  said  Aurelius,  turn- 
ing to  Claudia.  "  Oh,  let  me,  I  beg  of  you,  hear  one  of 
your  songs !" 

"With  pleasure,"  said  the  girl  coloring  slightly. 
"  With  your  permission,  dear  mother.  .  .  .  ?" 

"  You  know  my  weakness,"  replied  Octavia.  "  I  am 
always  only  too  glad  to  hear  you  sing.  If  our  noble 
guest's  request  is  not  merely  politeness.  ..." 

"  It  is  a  most  heartfelt  wish,"  cried  Aurelius.  "  Your 
daughter's  voice  is  music  when  she  only  speaks — in 
singing  it  must  be  enchanting." 

"  I  think  so  too,  indeed,"  added  Herodianus.  "  Oh, 
we  Northmen  are  connoisseurs  in  music.  The  Camenae 
visit  other  spots  than  Helicon  and  the  seven  hills  of 
Rome;  they  have  taken  Trajectum  too  under  their  pro- 
tection. Had  I  but  been  born  in  Hellas,  where  Zeus  so 
lavishly  decked  the  cornucopia  of  the  arts  with  such 
pure  and  ideal  perfection.  ..." 

"  Herodianus,  you  are  talking  nonsense !"  interrupted 
the  young  Batavian.  "  I  am  afraid  that  the  old  Falerhian 
we  drank  at  dinner,  was  too  strong  for  your  brain." 

"  I  beg  your  pardon !  that  would  be  very  unlike  me. 
Since  Apollo  first  laid  me  in  my  cradle,  temperance  has 
been  my  most  conspicuous  virtue.  ..." 

A  slave  girl  had  meanwhile  brought  in  the  nine- 
stringed  cithara  and  the  ivory  plectrum;  Claudia  took 
them  from  her  with  some  eagerness,  put  the  ribbon  of 
the  lute  round  her  neck  and  sat  upright  on  her  easy- 

85.  CITHARA  (KcJa?a).  A  favorite  musical  instrument.  The  strings, 
usually  of  gut,  were  sounded  by  means  of  a.f>lectrum(ir\^KT^ov)  of  wood, 
ivory,  or  metal.  Music  was  as  common  an  accomplishment  among 
ladies  of  rank  then  as  now,  and  they  often  composed  both  the  words 
and  airs  of  their  songs.  Statius  tells  us  that  his  step-daughter  did  so, 
and  Pliny  the  younger  says  the  same  of  his  third  wife. 


38  QUINTUS   CLAUDIUS. 

chair.  She  turned  the  pegs  here  and  there  to  put  the 
instrument  in  tune,  struck  a  few  chords  and  runs  as  a 
prelude,  and  began  a  Greek  song — the  delightful  Spring- 
greeting  of  Ibycus  the  Sicilian : M 

"  Spring  returns,  and  the  gnarled  quince8* 
Fed  by  purling  and  playful  brooks 
Decks  its  boughs  with  its  rosy  flowers 
Where,  beneath  in  the  twilight  gloom, 
Nymph-like  circles  of  maidens  dance; 
While  the  sprays  of  the  budding  grape 
Hide  'mid  shadowy  vine  leaves. 

Ruthless  Eros  doth  disregard 
Spring's  sweet  tokens  and  hints  of  peace. 
Down  he  rushes  like  winter  blasts — 
Thracian  storms  with  their  searing  flash- 
Aphrodite's  resistless  son 
Falls  on  me  in  his  fury  and  fire  — 

Racks  my  heart  with  his  torments." 

Claudia  ceased ;  the  accompaniment  on  the  cithara 
died  away  in  soft  full  chords.  Caius  Aurelius  sat  spell- 
bound. Never  had  he  dreamed  of  the  daughters  of  the 
fever-tossed  metropolis  as  so  simple,  so  natural,  so  genu- 
ine and  genial.  The  strain  almost  resembled,  in  coy 
tenderness,  those  northern  love-songs  which  he  had  been 
wont  to  hear  from  the  lips  of  Gothic  and  Ampsivaric 
maidens.  In  those,  to  be  sure,  a  vein  of  rebellion  and 
melancholy  ran  through  the  melody  and  pierced  through 
the  charm,  while  in  this  all  was  perfect  harmony,  ex- 
quisite contentment — an  intoxicating  concord  of  joy, 

86.  IBYCUS  OF  RHEGION  in  Lower  Italy  (B.  C.  528).    A  distin- 
guished lyric  poet,  who  is  the  hero  of  a  well-known  poem  by  Schiller. 
Few  of  his  numerous  lyric  compositions  remain  to  us.     We  here  give 
a  translation  of  Emanuel  Geibel's  admirable  German  version  of  his 
Spring-greeting.     (Classisches  Liederbuch,  p.  44.) 

87.  QUINCE.     Cydonia  is  the  modern  botanical  name  of  the 
quince,  called  by  the  Greeks  and  Romans  the  Cydonian  apple,  after 
Cydonia,  in  the  island  of  Crete. 


QUINTUS   CLAUDIUS.  39 

youth  and  love.  In  this  he  heard  the  echo  of  the  smil- 
ing waves  below,  of  the  glistening  leaves,  and  of  heart- 
stirring  spring  airs. 

"  A  second  Sappho  !"  exclaimed  Herodianus,  as  his 
master  sat  speechless.  "  I  can  but  compare  the  sweet- 
ness of  that  voice  with  the  luscious  Falernian  we  drank 
at  dinner.  That  was  a  nectar  worthy  of  the  gods  ! 
Besides,  indeed  —  the  Hispanian  wine  —  out  there,  what 
do  you  call  the  place  —  you  know,  my  lord  —  what  is  the 
name  of  it  —  that  was  delicious  too  —  and  seen  against 
the  light  ....  What  was  I  saying  ?  I  had  an  aunt,  she 
sang  too  to  the  cithara  —  yes  she  did,  why  not?  —  She 
was  free  to  do  that,  of  course,  quite  free  to  do  it  —  and 
a  very  good  woman  too  was  old  Pris  —  Pris  —  Priscilla. 
Only  she  could  not  endure,  that  any  one  should  talk 
when  she  blew  the  cithara  .  .  .  .  " 

Octavia  was  frowning  ;  Aurelius  had  turned  crimson 
and  nodded  to  his  Gothic  slave,  who  was  standing  aside 
under  the  arcade.  Magus  quietly  came  up  to  Herod- 
ianus and  whispered  a  few  words  in  his  ear. 

"  That  shows  a  profound,  a  remarkably  profound 
power  of  observation  !"  cried  the  freedman  excitedly. 
"  In  fact,  what  does  music  prove  after  all  ?  I  play  the 
water-organ,88  and  —  hold  me  up,  Magus.  This  floor  is 
remarkably  slippery  for  a  respectable  cavaedium.  It 
might  be  paved  with  eels  or  polished  mirrors  !" 

"  You  are  a  very  good  /ellow,"  muttered  the  Goth  as 
he  led  him  slowly  away,  "  but  you  carry  it  a  little  too 
far  ____  " 

"  What  ?     Ah  !  you  have  no  sense  of  the  sublime  ? 


88.  WATER-ORGAN  (Hydraulus,  vfyavAo?).  A  musical  instrument 
mentioned  by  Cicero,  Seneca  and  others.  Ammianus  observes: 
"Water-organs  and  lyres  are  made  so  large,  that  they  might  be  mis- 
taken for  coaches." 


40  QUINTUS   CLAUDIUS. 

You  are  not  a  philosopher,  but  only  a — a — a — a  man. 
But,  by  Pluto!  you  need  not  break  my  arm.  I — take 
care  of  that,  that.  .  .  .  Will  you  let  go,  you  misbegotten 
villain !" 

But  the  Goth  was  not  to  be  got  rid  of;  he  held  the 
drunken  man  like  an  iron  vice  and  so  guided  him  in  a 
tolerably  straight  course.  When  they  disappeared  in 
the  corridor  leading  to  the  atrium,  Aurelius  was  anxious 
to  apologize  for  him,  but  Octavia  laughed  it  off. 

"  We  are  at  Baiae,"89  she  said,  "  and  Baiae  is  famous 
for  its  worship  of  Bacchus." 

"  It  is  impossible  to  be  vexed  with  him,"  added 
Lucilia ;  "  he  is  so  exceedingly  funny,  and  has  such  a 
confiding  twinkle  in  his  eyes." 

"  I  am  only  annoyed,"  said  Aurelius,  "  that  he  should 
have  disturbed  us  at  so  delicious  a  moment.  Indeed 
madam,  your  voice  is  enchantment;  and  what  a 
heavenly  melody !  who  is  the  musician  who  composed 
it?" 

"  You  make  me  blush,"  said  Claudia :  "  I  myself  put 
the  words  to  music,  and  I  am  delighted  that  you  should 
like  it.  Quintus  thought  it  detestable." 

"  Nay,  nay  —  "  murmured  Quintus. 

"  Yes  indeed  !"  said  the  saucy  Lucilia.  "  It  was  too 
soft  and  womanly  for  your  taste." 

"  You  are  misrepresenting  me ;  I  only  said,  that  the 
air  did  not  suit  the  words..  It  is  a  man  who  is  here 
complaining  of  the  torments  of  love,  while  what  Clau- 
dia sings  does  not  sound  like  a  Thracian  winter  storm, 
but  like  the  lamentations  of  a  love-lorn  maiden." 

"  Nonsense  !"  laughed  Lucilia.  "  Love  is  love,  just  as 

89.  BAIAE  was  considered  from  ancient  times  friendly  to  Bacchus. 
(Sen.  Ep.  51). 


QUINTUS   CLAUDIUS.  4! 

air  is  air!    whether  you  breathe  it  or  I,  it  is  all  the 
same." 

"  But  with  this  difference,  that  rather  more  of  it  is 
needed  to  fill  my  lungs  than  yours.  However,  for 
aught  I  care  the  song  is  perfect." 

"  You  are  most  kind,  to  be  sure !  And  you  may 
thank  the  gods  that  you  have  nothing  to  do  but  to 
listen  to  it. ,  I  have  no  doubt,  that  at  the  drinking-bouts 
of  some  of  your  boon  companions  the  songs  have  a 
more  Titanic  ring  and  roar." 

"You  little  hypocrite!  Do  you  want  to  play  the 
part  now  of  a  female  Cato  ?  Why,  how  often  have  you 
confessed  to  me,  that  *  you  would  give  your  eyes  to  be 
one  of  such  a  party  if  only  it  were  permissible !" 

"  Mother,"  said  Lucilia,  "  do  not  allow  him  to  make 
a  laughing  stock  of  me  in  this  heartless  way.     <  If  only 
I  were  a  man,'  you  mean,  not  '  if  it  were  permissible.'  " 
f  "  Very  good !"  replied  Quintus. 

Caius  Aurelius  now  expressed  a  wish  to  hear  Clau- 
dia sing  a  Latin  song,  and  she  selected  one  of  which  the 
words  were  by  the  much-admired  poet  Statius,90  who  at 
that  time  was,  with  Martial,91  the  reigning  favorite  in  the 
taste  of  the  highest  circles.  With  this  the  stranger 
seemed  equally  delighted. 

When  Claudia  had  ended,  he  himself  seized  the  in- 
strument and  plectrum,  and  with  eager  enthusiasm  in  a 
full,  strong  voice  sang  a  battle-song.  The  powerful  tones 

90.  STATIUS. — P.  Papinius  Statius,  born  in  Naples,  A.  D.  45,  and 
died  A.  D.  96,  was  a  lyric  and  epic  poet,  often  artificial  in  style,  but 
possessed  of  a  brilliant  imagination.   His  principal  works  are  the  epic 
poem    "Thebais,"  in  which  he   treats  of  the  battle  of  the  sons  of 
Oedipus  before  Thebes,  and  the  Silvae  (woods),  a  collection  of  short 
poems.     He  also  commenced  an  epic  poem  "Achilleis." 

91.  MARTIAL.    (See  ijote  100,  vol  \.\ 


49  QUINTUS   CLAUDIUS. 

rang  through  the  evening  silence  like  the  rush  of  a  moun- 
tain torrent.  His  hearers  saw  in  fancy  the  swaying 
struggle — the  captain  of  the  legion  is  in  the  thick  of  the 
fray — "Comrades,"  cries  one  of  the  combatants,  "our 
chief  is  in  danger!  Help!  help  for  our  chief! — One 
last  furious  onslaught,  and  the  battle  is  won !" 

The  two  girls  shrank  closer  to  each  other. 

As  the  notes  slowly  died  away,  a  figure  appeared 
high  above  them  in  the  moonlight,  leaning  over  the 
parapet  of  the  upper  story. 

"  By  the  gods !  my  lord !"  cried  Herodianus,  "  I  am 
coming!  —  If  only  I  knew  where  Magus  has  hidden  my 
sword !  Hold  your  own,  stand" steady,  and  we  will  beat 
them  yet!" 

The  party  burst  out  laughing. 

"  Go  to  bed,  Herodianus!"  shouted  his  master.  "You 
are  talking  in  your  dreams!" 

"  Apollo  be  praised  then !"  stuttered  the  other,  "  but 
I  heard  you  with  my  own  ears,  shouting  desperately  for 
help."  And  with  these  words  he  withdrew  from  the 
parapet,  still  muttering  and  fighting  the  air  with  his 
arms ;  and  Lucilia  declared  that  she  should  positively 
die  of  laughing  if  this  extraordinary  sleep-walker  went 
through  any  farther  adventures.  The  moon  was  already 
high  in  the  sky,  when  the  party  separated.  Quintus  led 
his  visitor  to  the  strangers*  rooms,  wished  him  good- 
night, and  went  to  his  own  cubiculum9*  where  his  slaves 
stood  yawning  as  they  waited  for  him.  For  a  time,  how- 
ever, he  paced  his  room  in  meditation ;  then  pausing  in 
his  walk,  he  looked  undecidedly  through  the  open  door- 
way and  asked :  "  What  is  the  hour  ?" 

92.  CUBICULUM.  A  sleeping-room.  The  cubicula  were  located 
in  the  atrium,  peristyle,  and  upper  stories. 


QUINTUS   CLAUDIUS.  43 

"  It  wants  half  an  hour  of  midnight,"  replied 
Blepyms,  his  body-servant. 

"  Very  good — I  do  not  want  to  sleep  yet.  Open  the 
window ;  the  air  here  is  suffocating.  Blepyrus,  give  me 
my  dagger." 

"The  Syrian  dagger?" 

"A  useless  question — when  do  I  ever  use  any 
other?" 

"  Here,  my  lord,"  said  Blepyrus,  taking  the  dagger 
out  of  a  closet  in  the  wall." 

"  It  is  only  as  a  precaution.  Lately  all  sorts  of  wild 
rabble  have  haunted  Baiae  and  the  neighborhood.  I  am 
going  to  take  a  walk  for  an  hour  or  so,"  and  he  went 
to  the  door.  "  But  mind,"  he  added,  "  this  late  ex- 
pedition is  a  secret." 

The  slaves  bowed. 

"  You  know  us,  my  lord !"  they  said  with  one  ac- 
cord. 

Quintus  went  out  again  into  the  arcades.  The  colon- 
naded court  lay  white  and  dream-like  in  the  moonshine, 
the  shadows  of  the  statues  fell  blackly  sharp  on  the  dewy 
grass-plot  and  the  chequered  outlines  of  the  mosaic 
pavement.  Quintus  hastened  noiselessly  to  the  postem- 
gate,  which  led  from  the  peristyle  into  the  park;  he 
pushed  back  the  bolt  and  was  out  on  the  terrace.  Com- 
plete silence  reigned  around ;  only  the  very  tops  of  the 
trees  bent  to  the  soft  night-breeze.  Quintus  looked  down 
upon  Baiae.  Here  and  there  a  light  twinkled  in  the 
harbor;  otherwise  it  was  like  a  city  of  the  dead.  Then 
he  looked  down  the  black  darkness  of  the  shrubbery 
paths  into  the  wilderness  and  seemed  to  waver,  but  he 
drew  a  little  letter  out  of  the  belt  of  his  tunic  and 
studied  it,  meditating. 


44  QUINTUS   CLAUDIUS. 

"  In  fact,"  said  he  to  himself,  "  the  whole  affair  wears 
the  aspect  of  a  mad  adventure ;  it  would  not  be  the  first 
time  that  malice  had  assumed  such  a  disguise !  But  no ! 
Such  a  scheme  would  be  too  clumsy;  what  warranty 
would  the  traitor  have,  that  I  should  come  alone  ?  Be- 
sides, if  I  have  any  knowledge  of  love-intrigue,  these 
lines  were  undoubtedly  written  by  a  woman's  hand." 

He  opened  the  note,93  which  was  written  on  pale  yel- 
low Alexandrian  paper  with  the  finest  ink.  The  red  silk 
that  tied  it  was  sealed  with  yellow  wax,  and  bore  the  im- 
pression of  a  finely-cut  intaglio.  The  handwriting  be- 
trayed practice,  and  the  whole  thing  looked  as  if  it  had 
come  from  the  hands  of  a  cultivated  and  distinguished 
fine  lady.  The  contents  answered  to  this  supposition ; 
the  style  was  marked  by  aristocratic  affectations  and 
rhetorical  grace,  while  it  revealed  that  vein  of  eager, 
jealous  passion,  which  stamps  the  Roman  woman  to 
this  day. 

"There  is  no  doubt  about  it,"  muttered  Quintus, 
when  he  had  once  more  carefully  examined  every  detail. 
"  This  is  in  hot  earnest,  and  she  commands  me  to  meet 
her  with  the  assurance  of  a  goddess.  And  with  all  her 
domineering  confidence,  what  sweet  coaxing — what  in- 
viting tenderness !  It  would  be  treason  to  the  divine 
influences  of  Venus  to  hesitate.  Nay,  fair  unknown  1 — 
for  you  must  surely  be  fair — beautiful  as  the  goddess 
whose  inspiration  fires  your  blood  !  Nothing  but  beauty 
can  give  a  woman  courage  to  write  such  words  as  these  1" 

93.  T^OTE.  The  Romans  wrote  their  letters  either  on  wax-tablets, 
(See  note  10.  vol.  I.)  or  on  paper  (tapyrus,  car/a),  using  in  the  former 
case  the  stylus,  in  the  latter  a  reed-pen  and  Indian  ink.  When  the 
letter  was  finished,  the  wax-tablets  were  laid  one  above  the  other, 
and  the  papyrus  folded  several  times.  A  string  was  then  wound 
around  the  whole  and  the  ends  sealed. 


QUINTUS    CLAUDIUS.  45 

He  replaced  the  note  in  his  bosom  and  took  the  same 
path  that  he  had  trodden  a  few  hours  since  with  Aurelius ; 
listening  sharply  on  each  side  as  he  got  farther  into  the 
thicket,  and  keeping  his  hand  on  his  dagger,  he  slowly 
mounted  the  hill.  All  nature  seemed  to  be  sleeping,  and 
the  distant  cry  of  a  night-bird  sounded  as  if  in  a  dream. 
Before  long  he  had  reached  the  spot  where  the  path 
turned  off  to  the  pavilion.  The  little  temple  stood  out 
in  the  moonlight  as  sharply  as  by  day  against  the  dark- 
blue  sky,  like  an  erection  of  gleaming  silver  and  snow ; 
the  light  seemed  to  ripple  on  the  marble  like  living,  trans- 
lucent dew — and,  in  the  middle,  the  goddess  sat  en- 
throned!— a  tall  form  robed  in  white,  her  face  veiled, 
motionless  as  though  indeed  a  statue.  Quintus  paused 
for  an  instant ;  then  he  mounted  to  the  top  and  said 
bowing  low : 

"  Unknown  one,  I  greet  thee !" 

"  And  I  thee,  Quintus  Claudius !"  answered  a  voice 
that  was  tremulous  with  agitation. 

"You,  madam,  have  commanded,  and  I,  Quintus 
Claudius,  have  obeyed.  Now,  will  you  not  reveal  the 
secret  I  am  burning  to  discover  ?" 

The  veiled  lady  took  the  young  man  gently  by  the 
hand  and  drew  him  tenderly  to  a  seat. 

"  My  secret !"  she  repeated  with  a  sigh.  "  Can  you 
not  guess  it  ?  Quintus,  divinest,  most  adorable  Quintus 
—  I  love  you!" 

"Your  favors  confound  me!"  said  Quintus  in  the 
tone  of  a  man  to  whom  such  phrases  were  familiar. 
His  unknown  companion  threw  her  arms  round  him, 
leaned  her  head  on  his  shoulder,  and  burst  into  tears. 

"  Oh,  happy,  intoxicating  hour  !"  she  breathed  in  a 
rapturous  undertone.  "  You,  the  noblest  of  men,  my 


46  QUINTUS   CLAUDIUS. 

idol,  whom  I  have  thought  of  so  long,  watched  with 
such  eager  eyes — you,  Quintus,  mine  —  mine  at  last) 
It  is"  too  much  happiness !" 

Quintus,  under  the  stormy  fervor  of  this  declaration, 
felt  an  uneasy  mistrust  which  he  tried  in  vain  to  repress. 
This  despotic  "  mine — mine"  gave  him  a  sensation  as 
of  the  grip  of  a  siren.  He  involuntarily  rose. 

"  My  good  fortune  takes  my  breath  away!"  he  said 
in  flattering  accents;  doubly  flattering  to  atone  for  the 
hasty  impulse  by  which  he  had  stood  up.  "  But  now 
grant  my  bold  desire,  and  let  me  see  your  face.  Let 
me  know  who  it  is,  that  vouchsafes  me  such  unparalleled 
favors." 

"  You  cannot  guess  ?"  she  whispered  reproachfully. 
"  And  yet  it  is  said,  that  the  eyes  of  love  are  keen. 
Quintus,  my  beloved,  Fate  denies  us  all  open  and  un- 
checked happiness;  it  is  in  secret  only  that  your  lips 
may  ever  meet  mine.  But  you  know  that  true  love 
mocks  at  obstacles — nay  more,  the  flowers  that  blossom 
in  the  very  valley  of  death  are  those  that  smell  sweetest." 

Quintus  drew  back  a  step. 

"  Once  more,"  he  insisted,  "  tell  me  who  you  are  ?" 

The  tall  figure  raised  a  beautiful  arm,  that  shone  like 
Parian  marble  in  the  moonlight,  and  slowly  lifted  her 
veil. 

"The  Empress!"94  cried  Quintus  dismayed 

"  Not  '  the  Empress  '  to  you,  my  Quintus — to  you 
Domitia,  hapless,  devoted  Domitia,  who  could  die  of 
love  at  your  feet." 

Quintus  stood  immovable. 

94.  THE  EMPRESS  DOMITIA.  The  emperor's  wife  was  Domitia 
Ix>ngina,  the  daughter  of  Corbulo,  and  formerly  the  wife  of  Aelius 
La  nia,  (Suet  Dom.  i). 


QUINTUS   CLAUDIUS.  47 

"  Fear  nothing,"  she  said  smiling.  "  No  listener  is 
near  to  desecrate  the  perfect  bliss  of  this  moonlit  night." 

"  Fear?"  retorted  Quintus.  "  I  am  not  a  girl,  to  go 
into  fits  in  a  thunder-storm.  What  I  resolve  on  I  carry 
out  to  the  end,  though  the  end  be  death !  Besides,  I 
know  full  well,  that  your  favors  bloom  in  secret  places — 
as  silent  and  as  harmless  as  the  roses  in  a  private 
garden." 

Domitia  turned  pale. 

"  And  what  do  you  mean  by  that  ?"  she  asked  shud- 
dering. 

"  You  live  far  away  from  Caesar,  your  husband ;  you 
are  served  by  spies ;  your  palace  is  a  labyrinth  with  a 
hundred  impenetrable  chambers.  .  .  ." 

"  Indeed !"  said  Domitia,  controlling  her  excitement. 
"  But  still,  I  saw  you  start.  What  dismayed  you  so 
much,  if  it  was  not  the  suspicion  of  danger  ?" 

"  You  know,"  answered  the  young  man  hesitating, 
"  that  I  am  one  of  those  who  are  ranked  as  Caesar's 
friends.95  A  friend — though  merely  an  official  friend — 
cannot  betray  the  man  he  is  bound  to  defend." 

Domitia  laughed  loudly. 

"  Fine  speeches,  on  my  word !"  she  exclaimed  scorn- 

95.  CAESAR'S  FRIENDS.  Among  the  "friends  (amict)  of  the  em- 
peror," were  included  those  persons,  who  not  only  regularly  shared  the 
social  pleasures  of  the  sovereign,  but  were  invitea  to  consult  with  him 
on  all  important  government  business.  Within  this  group  of  friends 
there  were  of  course  inner,  outer,  and  outermost  circles.  Quintus, 
who  had  little  intercourse  with  the  court,  can  only  be  included  in  the 
outermost  circle  of  all,  and  even  there  more  on  account  of  his  father, 
who  was  one  of  the  emperor's  most  intimate  "  friends,"  than  by  virtue 
of  his  own  relations  with  the  palace.  He  of  course  had  a  right  to 
appear  at  court,  like  all  persons  of  his  rank,  even  without  a  special 
'relation  of  friendship"  to  the  emperor.  When  inner  and  outer 
circles  of  friends  are  mentioned,  this  must  not  be  confounded  with  the 
different  classes  of  friends.  Belonging  to  the  first  or  second  class  im- 
plied a  distinction  of  rank.  Of  course,  in  this  sense,  Quintus  could 
only  be  numbered  among  the  first  class  (primi  amici). 


40  QUINTUS    CLAUDIUS. 

fully.  "  Friendship,  for  the  executioner  who  cuts  your 
head  off!  Fidelity  to  a  bloodthirsty  ruffian  !  No,  Quin- 
tus — I  know  better.  You  are  staunch,  but  not  from 
fidelity — from  prudence!" 

Quintus  struck  his  breast  proudly  with  his  hand. 

"  You  force  me,"  he  said,  "  to  speak  the  truth,  in 
spite  of  my  desire  to  spare  you.  You  must  know  then, 
that  Quintus  Claudius  thinks  better  of  himself  than  to 
stoop  to  be  the  successor  of  an  actor !" 

"  Mad  fool !  what  are  you  saying  .  .  .  .  " 

"What  I  was  bound  to  say.  You  thought  I  was 
afraid;  I  am  only  proud.  No,  and  if  you  were  Cypris96 
in  person  I  should  disdain  you  no  less,  in  spite  of  every 
charm.  Never  will  1  touch  the  lips,  that  have  been 
kissed  by  a  buffoon — a  slave."* 

Domitia  did  not  stir ;  she  seemed  paralyzed  by  the 
fury  of  this  attack.  —  At  last,  however,  she  rose. 

"  You  are  very  right,  Quintus,"  she  said.  "  It  was  too 
much  to  expect.  Go  and  sleep,  and  dream  of  your  wed- 
ding. But  the  gods,  you  know,  are  envious.  They  often 
grant  us  joys  in  our  dreams  and  deny  the  reality.  But 
now,  before  you  go,  kneel  to  the  Empress !"  and  as  she 
spoke  a  stiletto  flashed  ominously  in  her  hand.  Quintus, 
however,  had  with  equal  swiftness  drawn  his  dagger. 

"  Fair  and  gently  !"  he  said  drawing  back.  "  The 
honor  of  being  stabbed  by  the  fair  hand  of  Domitia  is 

96.  CYPRIS.    A  name  given  to  Aphrodite,  the  goddess  of  love, 
from  the  island  of  Cyprus,  the  principal  seat  of  her  worship. 

97.  A  SLAVE.     Domitia  had  been  the  mistress  of  Paris,  a  slave 
and  actor.     When  Domitian  discovered  it,  he  wished  to  sentence  the 
empress  to  death,  but  at  the  intercession  of  Ursus.  changed  the  decree 
to  exile.     Paris  was  massacred  in  the  open  street.     (See  Dio  Cass. 
LXVII  \;  Suet.  Dom.  3.)     Quintus  calls  Paris  a  buffoon  out  of  con- 
tempt, for  the  profession  of  "player"  was  regarded  by  the^  ancient 
Romans  as  degrading. 


QUINTUS    CLAUDIUS.  49 

a  temptation  no  doubt  .  .  .  .  "  She  colored  and  dropped 
the  weapon. 

"  Leave  me !"  she  said,  going  to  lean  against  the  balus- 
trade. "  I  do  not  know  what  I  am  doing;  my  brain  is 
reeling.  Forgive  me — forgive  me !"  Quintus  made  no 
reply,  and  casting  a  glance  of  furious  hatred  at  him  she 
hurried  down  the  steps,  glided  through  the  gap  in  the 
brushwood  into  the  deserted  park,  and  vanished  among 
the  shrubs. 

Quintus  stood  looking  after  her. 

"  One  foe  the  more!"  said  he  to  himself.  "Well,  what 
does  it  matter  ?  Either  to  be  made  an  end  of  by  the 
knife  of  an  assassin  —  or  to  live  on,  my  very  soul  sickened 
with  it  all.  .  .  .  Pah !" 

And  he  made  his  way  homewards,  singing  a  Greek 
drinking-song  as  he  went. 


CHAPTER   IV. 

NEXT  morning  Quintus  was  up  long  before  the  sun, 
while  in  the  atrium  the  slaves  were  still  busy  cleaning 
the  walls  and  the  mosaic  pavement,  so  he  lingered  for  a 
while  in  the  peristyle.  His  eye  dreamily  watched  the 
soft  swaying  of  the  trees  in  melancholy  relief  against  the 
blue-green  sky ;  light  fleecy  clouds  floated  in  the  trans- 
parent air,  and  here  and  there  above  his  head  a  star  still 
twinkled  fitfully.  Quintus  sat  on  a  bench  with  his  head 
thrown  back,  for  he  was  tired  and  over-excited ;  an  un- 
wonted restlessness  had  brought  him  out  of  bed.  How 
calm  and  pure  was  this  early  gloaming !  In  Rome,  so 
thought  Quintus,  there  was  something  uncanny  and 

Vol.  l. 


$0  QUINTUS   CLAUDIUS. 

dreary  in  the  early  morning — the  grey  of  dawn  came 
as  the  closing  effect  of  a  wild  night  of  revelry.  Here, 
on  the  hills  of  Baiae,  the  stars  winked  like  kindly  eyes 
and  the  twilight  soothed  the  spirit!  And  yet,  no;  for 
here  too  was  the  great  capital ;  here  too  were  storms  and 
unrest.  Rome,  that  monstrous  polypus,  stretched  its 
greedy  arms  out  to  the  uttermost  ends  of  the  world,  and 
even  into  the  calmest  and  most  peaceful  solitudes.  Even 
here,  by  the  sea,  wantonness  had  spread  its  glittering 
snares ;  here  too  duty  and  truth  were  forsworn,  and  in- 
trigue and  inhumanity  held  their  orgies.  Quintus 
thought  of  the  tortured  slave  ....  That  pale  and  pain- 
stricken  face  had  sunk  deep  into  his  soul ;  strangely 
enough !  for  his  eye  had  long  been  accustomed  to  such 
sights  of  anguish  and  horror.  The  bloody  contests  of 
gladiators  had  never  roused  him  to  any  other  interest 
than  that  in  a  public  entertainment.  But  this  particular 
picture  forced  itself  on  his  memory,  though — from  the 
point  of  view  of  any  Roman  of  distinction — it  had  no 
interesting  features  whatever,  for  of  what  account  in  the 
Roman  Empire  was  a  slave  ?  And  especially  in  the 
sight  of  Quintus,  rich,  handsome  and  brilliant  ?  It  was 
in  short  most  strange — but  that  white,  bearded  face, 
with  its  lofty,  unflinching  expression  never  faded  from 
his  memory,  and  his  inward  eye  found  it  impossible 
not  to  gaze  upon  it.  Then,  suddenly  another  figure 
stood  side  by  side  with  it :  The  white-armed  Cypris 
Domitia,  trte  passion-stirred  Empress.  Here  were  pain, 
misery,  silent  abnegation — there  were  feverish  desires  and 
passions,  reckless,  greedy,  all-absorbing  selfishness.  .  .  . 
By  the  gods — there  they  stood  before  him — the  slave 
and  the  imperial  woman — both  so  distinct  that  he  could 
have  touched  them  as  it  seemed. — The  slave  had  broken 


QUINTUS    CLAUDIUS.  51 

his  bonds  and  put  out  his  hand  with  a  smile  of  beatitude, 
while  the  woman  shrank  away  and  her  white  arms 
writhed  like  snakes  of  marble.  She  threw  herself  on  the 
earth,  and  her  fair  gold  hair  fell  loose  over  the  bleeding 
feet  of  the  slave  .... 

Quintus  started  up,  the  murmur  of  the  fountain  had 
lulled  him  to  sleep,  and  now,  as  he  rubbed  his  hand 
across  his  eyes,  a  woman's  figure  was  in  fact  before  him, 
not  so  stately  and  tall  as  the  moonlighted  Domitia,  but 
as  fresh  and  sweet  as  a  rose. 

"  Lucilia  !     Up  so  early  ?" 

"  I  could  not  sleep  and  stole  away  softly  from 
Claudia's  side.  She  is  still  asleep,  for  she  came  to  bed 
very  late.  But  you,  my  respected  friend  —  what  has 
brought  you  out  before  daybreak?  You,  the  latest 
sleeper  of  all  the  sons  of  Rome  ?" 

"  I  was  just  like  you.  I  think  the  strong  liquor  we 
drank  at  supper  last  night  .  .  .  .  " 

"  A  vain  excuse,"  said  Lucilia.  "  When  ever  did 
good  wine  rob  you  of  a  night's  rest  ?  Sooner  could  I 
believe  that  you  were  thinking  of  Cornelia  !" 

'•  What  should  make  you  think  that  ?" 

"  Well,  it  is  a  natural  inference.  For  what  else  are 
you  her  betrothed?  To  be  sure  you  do  not  play  the 
part  with  much  zeal." 

"  How  so  ?" 

"  Well,  do  you  not  go  to  see  Lycoris  just  as  much 
now  as  ever  you  did  ?" 

"  Pah  !" 

"  '  Pah  !  '  What  need  have  you  to  say  *  Pah  !  '  in  that 
way  ?  Is  that  right  ?  Is  that  horrid,  shameless  crea- 
ture, who  seems  to  turn  all  the  men's  heads,  a  fit  com- 
panion for  a  man  who  is  betrothed  ?  I  know  you  love 

4  * 


U 


52  QUINH  :rs. 

Cornelia  —  but  this  is  a  spiteful  world,  and  supposing 
Cornelia  were  to  learn  .  .  .  .  " 

"  Well,  and  if  she  did  ?"  said  Quintus  smiling.  "  Is  it 
a  crime  to  frequent  gay  society,  to  see  a  few  leaps  and 
turns  of  Gades  dancers  and  to  eat  stewed  muraenae?9" 
Is  there  anything  atrocious  in  fireworks  or  flute-play- 
ing?" 

"  How  eloquent  you  can  be  !  You  might  almost 
make  black  seem  white.  But  I  abide  by  my  words  ;  it 
is  most  unbecoming,  and  if  you  would  but  hear  reason 
you  would  give  this  woman  up." 

"  But  pray  believe  me,  there  never  was  a  pretty  girl 
for  whom  I  cared  less  than  for  Lycoris." 

"  Indeed  !  and  that  is  why  you  are  as  constantly  in 
her  house  as  a  client  in  that  of  his  patron."99 

"  The  comparison  is  not  flattering." 

"  But  exact.  Why  should  you  frequent  her  house  so 
constantly,  if  you  are  so  indifferent  to  her  ?" 

"  Child,  you  do  not  understand  such  matters.  Her 
house  is  the  centre  of  all  the  wit  and  talent  in  Rome. 
Everything  that  is  interesting  or  remarkable  meets 
there  ;  it  is  in  her  rooms  that  Martial  I0°  utters  his  most 


98.  MURAENAE  (pv^a*"*)-    Lampreys  were  esteemed  a  delicacy 
(Cic.,  Plin.,  Hist.  Nat.  etc.)    The  best  came  from  the  Lucrine  lake, 
near  Cumae. 

99.  A  CLIENT   IN   HIS   PATRON'S  HOUSE.     The  clients  were 
originally  prote"g£es,  faithful  followers  of   their  lords  (tatrvni)  who 
on  their  part  were  obliged  to  aid  them  by  word  and  deed.      They 
represented  in  a  certain  degree  an  enlargement  of  the  family  circle. 
Afterwards  this  relation  degenerated  into  a  mercenary  connection  of 
the  most  pitiful  kind.     Under  the  emperors  the  clients  usually  became 
only  poor  parasites,  in  comparison  with  their  rich  masters.      They 
formed  their  court,  paid  them  the  usual  morning-visit  at  a  very  early 
hour,  accompanied  them  wherever  they  went  in  public,  and  received 
in  return  a  ridiculously  small  compensation  in  money  or-  goods. 

ico.  MARTIAL.     M.  Valerius  Martialis,  born  at  Bilbilis  in  Spain, 
about  42  A.  D.  was  famous  for  his  witty  and  clever  epigrams.     The 


QUINTUS    CLAUDIUS.  53 

pregnant  jests,  and  Statius  reads  his  finest  verses. 
Everyone  who  lays  any  claim  to  talent  or  wit,  whether 
statesmen  or  courtiers,  knights  or  senators,  uses  the 
atrium  of  Lycoris  as  a  rendezvous.  Last  autumn  I 
€ven  met  Asprenas101  the  consul  there.  Where  such 
men  as  these  are  to  be  seen,  Quintus  Claudius,  at  three 
and  twenty,  may  certainly  be  allowed  to  go." 

"  Quite  the  contrary,"  cried  Lucilia.  "  If  you  had 
grey  hair,  like  Nonius  Asprenas,  I  would  not  waste  words 
on  the  matter.  But  as  it  is,  the  Gaulish  Circe  will  end 
by  falling  in  love  with  you,  and  then  you  will  be  past 
praying  for."  Quintus  looked  gaily  at  the  girl's  smiling, 
mocking  face. 

"  You  mean  just  the  reverse,"  he  said.  "  For  I 
know  you  regard  me  as  far  from  dangerous.  Well !  I 
can  bear  even  that  blow." 

"That  is  your  new  mood!  There  is  no  touching 
you  in  any  way.  If  you  had  only  half  as  much  con- 
stancy of  mind  as  Aurelius  !" 

"  Ah !  you  like  him  then  ?" 

"  Particularly.  Do  you  know  it  would  be  delightful 
if  he  could  remain  here  a  little  longer — I  mean  for  six 
or  eight  days.  Then  he  could  travel  with  us  to  Rome." 

"  Indeed  ?"  said  Quintus  significantly. 

"  Now,  what  are  you  thinking  of?" 

"I?  of  nothing  at  all." 

"  Go,  there  is  no  doing  anything  with  you.  Do  not 
you  see  that  I  only  meant,  the  long  days  of  travelling 

1,200  which  have  been  preserved  are  the  principal  source  of  the  his- 
tory of  manners  and  customs  of  the  period  in  which  the  scene  of  this 
story  is  laid.  He  died  about  the  year  102. 

101.  L.  NONIUS  ASPRENAS  held  the  office  of  consul  with  M. 
Arricinius  Clemens  in  the  I4th  year  of  Domitian's  reign,  (94  A.  D.) 
and  therefore  was  still  in  office  "last  autumn." 


54  QUINTUS    CLAUDIUS. 

all  by  ourselves — Claudia  turns  over  a  book,  and  you, 
you  old  lazy-bones,  lie  on  a  couch  like  an  invalid — I 
find  it  desperately  dull.  A  travelling  companion  seems 
to  me  to  be  the  most  desirable  thing  in  the  world — or 
"do  you  dislike  Caius  Aurelius?" 

"  Oh  no.  If  only  his  trireme  had  wheels  and  could 
travel  over  land." 

"  His  ship  will  take  care  of  itself.  He  can  come  with 
us  in  the  travelling  chariot,  and  then  he  will  be  able  to 
see  part  of  the  Appian  way. loa  It  is  a  thousand  times 
more  interesting  than  a  sea-voyage.  —  Now,  do  it  to 
please  me  and  turn  the  conversation  on  the  subject  at 
dinner  to-day." 

"  If  you  like,"  said  Quintus. 

A  slave  now  appeared  on  the  threshold  of  the  pas- 
sage, which  led  from  the  peristyle  to  the  atrium. 

"  My  lord,"  he  said :  "  Letters  have  arrived  from 
Rome — and  for  you  too,  Madam. ..." 

"  Then  bring  them  out  here." 

They  were  three  very  dissimilar  letters,  that  Ble- 
pyrus  handed  to  the  two  young  people.  Lucilia's  was 
from  the  high-priest  of  Jupiter;  Titus  Claudius  Mucianus 
wrote  as  follows  to  his  adopted  daughter : 

"  Health  and  Blessings  ! I03  I  promised  you  lately, 
through  Octavia,  your  excellent  mother,  that  my  next 
letter  should  be  addressed  to  you,  my  dear  daughter.  I 

102.  APPIAN  WAY.     The  Via  Appia,  built  by  one  of  the  Clau- 
dia gens  (the   Censor  Appius  Claudius  Caecus,  312  B.  C.)  led  from 
Rome  across  Capua  to  Brundisium  (the  modern  Brindisi).     Statius 
(Stlv.  II,  12),  calls  it  the  queen  of  roads  (regina  viarum).   A  large 
portion  of  its  admirable  pavement,  as  well  as  the  ruins  of  the  tombs 
on  its  sides,  exist  at  the  present  day. 

103.  HEALTH  AND  BLESSINGS!     The  Romans  always  began 
their  letters  by  mentioning  the  writer's  name,  who  wishes  health  and 
blessings  to  the  person  addressed.     Thus  the  commencement  of  the 


xrrs  CLAUDIUS.  55 

know  that  you  value  such  proofs  of  my  fatherly  remem- 
brance, and  I  am  glad  that  it  should  be  so.  However, 
what  I  have  to  write  does  not  concern  you  alone,  my 
sweet  Lucilia,  but  all  of  you.  The  preparations  for  the 
magnificent  Centennial  Festival,104  which  the  Emperor 
Domitian — as  you  know — proposes  to  hold  in  the 
course  of  next  year,  have  so  completely  taken  up  my 
time  during  the  last  few  weeks,  that  I  am  sorely  in  need  of 
the  rest  and  comfort  of  regular  family  life.  In  addition 
to  this,  political  disturbances  of  all  kinds  have  oc- 
curred. Caesar  has  sent  for  me  six  times  to  Albanum,103 
and  I  assure  you  it  has  been  incessant  travelling  to  and 
fro.  The  matter  is  an  open  secret ;  all  Rome  is  discuss- 
ing the  decrees  from  the  Palatine106  against  the  Naza- 
renes. I07  You  may  remember  that  superstitious  sect  of 
whom  Baucis  spoke  to  you — a  revolutionary  faction, 
who,  a  score  or  so  of  years  since,  stirred  up  the  whole 

letter  given  here,  literally  interpreted,  should  have  run  as  follows: 
Trrus  CLAUDIUS  MUCIANUS  WISHES  HIS  LUCILIA,  Health  and 
Blessings.  T.  Claudius  Mucianus  Luciliae  suae,  S.  P.D. 

104.  CENTENNIAL  FESTIVAL.   A  brilliant  spectacle  in  the  arena, 
the  amphitheatre,  etc.,  which,  as  its  name  implies,  was  celebrated  every 
hundred  years.     Uomitian,  however,  disregarded  the  necessity  of  an 
interval  of  a  hundred  years,  by  reckoning,  as  Suetonius  (Dom.  4) 
relates,  from  the  one  before  the  last,  which  took  place  under  Augustus, 
instead  of  from  the  very  last,  that  was  celebrated   in  the  reign  of 
Claudius.    In  this  romance  the  time  of  the  Domitian  centennial  fes- 
tivities is  placed  somewhat  later  than  they  really  occurred. 

105.  ALBANUM.     Domitian  (Suet.  Dom.  4)  had  an  estate  at  the 
foot  of  the  Albanian  Hills,  and  many  rich  Romans  had  summer  villas 
near,  forming  at  last  the  town  now  called  Albano. 

106.  PALATINE.     Palatium,  the  imperial  palace  on  the  Palatine 
Hill.    The  word  "palace"  is  derived  from  "  Palatium,"  as  "  Kaiser" 
comes  from  "  Caesar." 

107.  NAZARENES.    The  name  usually  given  to  Christians,  who, 
for  a  long  time  were  regarded  by  the  Romans  as  a  Jewish  sect.     See 
the  words  of  Dio  Cassius  (LXVII,  16):   "who  inclined  to  Judaism," 
where  he  refers  to  the  Christians,  who  were  persecuted  under  Domi- 
tian. 


56  QUINTUS   CLAUDIUS. 

city  and  gave  occasion  for  the  stern  enactments  of  the 
divine  Nero  ?  Now  again  they  are  stirring  up  revolt  as 
if  they  were  mad  ;  they  are  shaking  the  very  foundations 
of  society,  and  threaten  to  overturn  all  that  we  have  till 
now  held  most  sacred.  I  must  be  silent  as  to  personal 
affairs ;  enough  to  say  that  I  am  weary  and  overwrought, 
and  that  my  heart  longs  to  see  you  all  again.  I  beg  you 
therefore  to  make  ready  to  start  and  return  as  soon  as 
possible  to  the  City  of  the  Seven  Hills.  Your  mother 
is  now  tolerably  well  again — thanks  to  all-merciful 
Jupiter — and  Quintus  will  not  be  vexed  to  learn  that 
Cornelia  is  now  staying  in  Rome  again.  People  are 
quitting  their  country  homes  somewhat  early  this  year; 
it  is  long  since  I  have  passed  the  month  of  September 
so  endurably.  I  shall  expect  you  then,  at  latest,  by 
Tuesday  in  next  week.  Allowing  three  days  for  the 
journey,  I  thus  give  you  two  days  to  prepare  for  it. 

"  Pray  greet  your  mother  and  your  sister  lovingly 
from  me.  This  letter  will,  I  hope,  find  you  all  in  perfect 
health.  I,  for  my  part,  am  quite  well. 

"Written  at  Rome,  on  the  nth  September,  in  the 
year  848  after  the  building  of  the  city." 

The  second  letter  was  from  Cornelia,  Quintus'  be- 
trothed, and  ran  as  follows : 

"  Cornelia  embraces  her  dear  Quintus  a  thousand 
times.  Here  I  am  in  Rome  again,  my  beloved !  My 
term  of  banishment  to  that  odious  desert  at  Tibur  is 
ended.  But,  woe  is  me !  Rome  is  dead  and  deserted 
too  since  you,  my  treasure,  my  idol,  linger  still  far  from 
the  Seven  Hills !  Oh !  how  glad  I  am  to  hear  from 
your  father,  that  he  is  recalling  you  from  Baiae  sooner 


QUINTUS   CLAUDIUS.  57 

than  was  intended.  Oh  !  Quintus,  if  you  felt  only  one 
thousandth  part  of  what  I  feel,  you  would  fly  on  the 
wings  of  the  storm  to  the  arms  of  your  love-sick  Cor- 
nelia. The  days  at  Tibur  were  more  dreary  than  ever. 
My  uncle  seemed  to  me  so  depressed  and  tormented  by 
gloomy  thoughts.  To  crown  my  misery,  old  Cocceius 
Nerva108  must  come  and  pay  us  a  visit  of  eight  mortal 
days.  I  shall  never  forget  that  week  as  long  as  I  live ! 
You  know  that  when  those  two  old  men  sit  together,  the 
house  is  as  silent  as  a  tomb ;  every  one  goes  about  on 
tiptoe.  This  Cocceius  Nerva  has  the  worst  effect  on 
my  uncle.  Only  fancy  what  happened  on  the  day  when 
he  left.  My  uncle  had  accompanied  him  to  his  chariot, 
and  when  he  came  back  into  the  house  he  happened  to 
pass  my  room,  where  Chloe  was  just  putting  some  fresh 
roses  into  my  hair.  When  he  saw  this,  he  fell  into  an 
indescribable  fit  of  rage.  '  You  old  fool !'  he  exclaimed 
pushing  my  good  Chloe  aside :  *  Have  you  women 
nothing  to  think  of  but  finery  ?  Do  you  deck  yourselves 
out  like  beasts  for  sacrifice  ?  Away  with  your  rubbish  ! 
the  house  of  Cornelius  Cinna  is  no  place  for  roses!' 
And  then  he  turned  upon  me  in  a  tone  which  expressed 
volumes  —  'Wait  a  while!'  he  said.  'You  will  soon  be 
able  to  do  whatever  pleases  your  fancy !'  You  under- 
stand Quintus,  he  meant  to  refer  to  you.  His  words 
cut  me  to  the  heart,  for  I  have  known  a  long  time  that 
my  uncle  is  not  pleased  at  our  connection.  If  my 
blessed  mother  had  not  made  him  swear,  on  her  death- 
bed, that  he  would  leave  my  choice  perfectly  free,  who 
knows  what  might  not  have  happened.  Nevertheless, 
it  is  always  a  fresh  pang  to  me  when  I  see  how  he 

108.  M.   COCCEIUS   NERVA  from  Narnia  in  Umbna,  born  33 
A.  D.,  a  senator. 


58  QflNTfS    CLAfl': 

cherishes  a  bitter  feeling  against  you  —  for,  in  spite  of 
everything,  I  respect  and  love  him. 

"  Take  good  care  of  yourself,  dearest  Quintus,  till  we 
meet  again,  soon,  on  the  shores  of  the  Tiber.  Greet 
your  circle  from  me,  and  particularly  lively  Lucilia.  I 
remember  her  fresh,  frank  nature  with  special  affection." 

The  third  letter,  also  addressed  to  Quintus,  was  from 
Lucius  Norbanus,109  the  captain  of  the  praetorian 
guard."0 

"  Have  you  taken  root  in  your  horrid  country  villa  " 
— so  wrote  the  officer  in  his  rough  fun  —  "  or  have  you 
drowned,  in  Vesuvian  wine,  all  remembrance  that  there 
is  such  a  place  as  the  Roman  Forum  ?  How  I  envy 
you  your  unbridled  wild-horse-like  liberty !  You  live 
like  the  swallows,  while  I  — it  is  pitiable !  Day  after  day 
at  my  post,  and  for  the  last  few  weeks  leading  a  perfect 
dog's  life !  Almost  a  third  of  the  legion  are  new  recruits, 
for  again  every  hole  and  corner  seems  haunted.  To- 
day, I  breathe  again  for  the  first  time,  but  alas !  my  best 
friends  are  still  absent.  Above  allClodianus,1"  who  lately 
has  never  been  allowed  to  leave  Caesar's  side.  I  am 

109.  Lucius  NORBANUS.    See  Dio  Cass.,  LXVII,  15. 

no.  PRAETORIAN  GUARD.  The  commander-in-chief's  tent  in 
the  Roman  camp,  was  called  the  praetoriurr. ;  and  from  this  the 
general's  body-guard  received  the  name  of  cohors  fraetoria.  Augus- 
tus transferred  this  title  to  the  imperial  guard,  and  established 
nine  Praetorian  cohorts,  (each  consisting  of  a  thousand  men)  which 
were  stationed,  some  in  Rome  and  some  in  the  rest  of  Italy.  The 
cohorts  in  Rome  were  at  first  quartered  among  the  citizens  ;  after- 
wards they  had  barracks  of  their  own  (castra  praetoria)  on  the  op- 
posite side  of  the  Quirinal  Hill.  They,  with  the  Praetorian  cavalry, 
formed  the  imperial  guard  and  body-guard.  Compared  with  the 
other  soldiers,  they  had  many  privileges,  for  instance  a  shorter  time 
of  service,  higher  pay.  higher  rank,  etc. 

in.  CLODIANUS.    See  Suet.  Dom.  17. 


QUINTUS    CLAUDIUS.  59 

commissioned  by  our  charmer  Lycoris,  to  inform  you 
that  Martial's  recitation II2  on  the  sixteenth  of  October  is 
proceeding  to  admiration.  A  hundred  epigrams,  and 
half  Rome  lashed  by  them  !  The  banquet,  which  is  to 
close  the  recitation,  is  to  be  magnificent.  I  can  take  her 
word  for  it ;  we  know  our  fair  Gaul.  Farewell !" 

"That  is  capital!"  said  Quintus,  folding  up  the  letter. 
Lucilia  retired  with  her  adopted  father's  letter  to  the 
sleeping-rooms,  where  Claudia  and  Octavia  must  by  this 
time  be  up.  Quintus  went  into  the  atrium  and  sat 
down  by  the  fountain,  to  wait  till  Caius  Aurelius  should 
appear. 


CHAPTER  V. 

THE  day  of  their  departure  came.  Aurelius  had 
hailed  the  idea  of  travelling  with  his  new  friends  with  an 
eagerness,  that  had  brought  a  saucy  smile  to  the  lips  of 
the  shrewd  Lucilia.  But  he  had  nevertheless  preferred 
the  more  comfortable  sea-voyage  to  a  journey  by  land, 
and  he  had  urged  it  so  pressingly  and  yet  so  modestly 
that  Octavia,  after  some  hesitation,  had  yielded. 

The  second  hour  after  sunrise"3  had  been  fixed  for 


112.  RECITATION.     The  custom  universally  prevailed  of  poets 
reciting  their  verses  to  a  select  circle,  before  they  were  published. 

113.  THE   SECOND   HOUR  AFTER   SUNRISE.    The  Romans  di- 
vided the  day,  from  sunrise  to  sunset,  into  twelve  hours.     These  were 
of  course  shorter  in  winter  than  in  summer.     The  events  spoken  of  in 
this  chapter  are  supposed  to  have  taken  place  about  the  time  of  the 
equinox,  so  '  the  second  hour'  would  be  between  seven  and  eight.   The 
night,  between  sunset  and  sunrise,  was  likewise  divided  into  four  vigils 
or  watches  of  three  hours  each. 


60  QUINTUS   CLAUDIUS. 

their  start,  and  before  daybreak  the  slaves  were  already 
busied  in  packing  the  baggage  mules  and  preparing  the 
litters  in  the  forecourt.  The  noise  and  bustle  aroused 
Quintus,  and  being  unable  to  get  to  sleep  again  he  rose, 
dressed  for  the  journey,  and  went  out  to  the  pillared 
court,  where  Lucilia  was  overlooking  the  slaves  at  their 
work  and  urging  the  dilatory  to  haste  in  cheerful  tones. 

"  Restless  being !"  said  Quintus  in  Greek  :  "  Are  you 
pursued  by  the  gadfly  of  Juno,"4  that  you  set  all  the  house 
in  an  uproar  in  the  darkness  of  dawn  ?  You  must  be 
afraid  lest  Aurelius*  vessel  should  row  off  without  us." 

"  And  do  you  complain  of  my  carefulness  ?"  retorted 
Lucilia.  "  Punctuality  is  the  first  virtue  of  a  house 
mistress." 

"Aha!  and  since  Lucilia's  ambitions  aim  at  that 
high  dignity  . . . . " 

"  Laugh  away !  A  well-ordered  home  is  very  desir- 
able for  you ;  and  it  will  be  a  real  mercy  when  you  get 
married.  Since  you  have  lived  alone,  you  have  got  into 
all  sorts  of  mischief.  But  what  is  it  that  you  want  here, 
you  ugly  Satyr  ?  Do  you  not  see  that  you  are  dreadfully 
in  the  way  ?  There,  now  you  are  treading  on  the  trav- 
elling-cloaks!  I  entreat  you  leave  the  room  to  the 
household  gods!" 

"  What !  I  am  in  your  way  ?  That  is  your  view  of 
the  matter;  but  it  is  you  who  are  really  the  spoil-peace, 
the  eternally  restless  storm  who  have  so  often  come 
sweeping  down  on  our  idyllic  calm.  Of  all  the  things, 
which  remind  us  here  of  Rome,  you  are  the  most  Roman. 


114.  THE  GADFLY  OP  JUNO.  The  jealous  queen  of  heaven,  Hera, 
(called  by  the  Romans  Tuno)  transformed  the  beautiful  daughter  of 
Inachus,  lo.  who  was  beloved  by  Jupiter,  into  a  cow,  and  ordered  her 
to  be  persecuted  by  a  gadfly. 


:NTUS  CLAUDIUS.  61 

You  have  nothing  but  your  little  snub-nose  to  redeem 
you  a  little.  But,  by  Hercules !  when  I  see  you  bustling 
around  here,  I  can  picture  to  myself  all  the  fevered  tur- 
moil of  the  great  city"5  with  its  two  million  inhabitants. 
Well,  I  will  taste  the  sea-breezes  once  more — once  more, 
for  a  brief  space,  enjoy  peace  and  quietness." 

"  How  ?" 

"  I  will  wait  for  sunrise  at  the  top  of  the  hill,  where 
the  road  turns  down  to  Cumae.  In  Rome  it  rises 
through  smoke  and  mist ;  while  here — oh !  how  grandly 
and  gloriously  it  mounts  from  behind  the  cone  of  Vesu- 
vius...." 

"  And  rises  there  through  smoke  and  mist !"  laughed 
Lucilia.  "  Well,  make  haste  and  come  back  again,  or 
we  shall  set  off  without  you." 

She  turned  once  more  to  the  slaves.  Quintus 
wrapped  himself  in  his  ample  lacerna,"6  waved  his  hand 
to  her,  and  went  out. 

The  high-road  was  absolutely  deserted ;  he  drew  a 
deep  breath.  It  was  a  delicious  morning.  His  wish  to 
bid  farewell,  as  it  were,  to  the  sun  and  air  of  Baiae  was 


115.  THE  GREAT  CITY.     The  population  of  Rome,  under  the 
emperors,  was  a  little  less  than  two  millions,  but  largely  exceeded 
one  million.     There  are  no  exact  statements ;  but  calculations  have 
been  made  from  different  standpoints,  which  give  about  the  same 
result.       The  most    important    points  to    be  considered  here,    are 
first  the  extent  of  surface  occupied  by  imperial  Rome,  and  secondly 
the   estimates    of   ancient    writers    concerning   the  consumption  of 
grain,  which  in  the  time  of  Josephus  amounted  to  60.000,000  bushels 
yearly.      Here  too,   may  be  mentioned  the    somewhat  hyperbolical 
passage,   Arist.     Encom.    Rom.    p.    199,   where    it    is   asserted    that 
Jiome  would  fill   the  whole  width   of  Italy  to  the  Adriatic  Sea,   if 
the  stories  of  the  houses,  instead  of  being  piled  one  above  another, 
had  been  built  on  the  ground. 

116.  LACERNA.  A  light  woollen  cloak,  worn  either  in  place  of  the 
toga  or  tunic,  or,  which  was  more  customary,  as  an  outside  wrap  over 
the  toga.     White  lacernae  were  the  most  elegant. 


62  QUINTtTS   CLAUDIUS. 

not  affected ;  like  all  Romans  he  raved  about  the  sea."7 
Its  shore  was  to  him  the  one  real  Museion —  as  Pliny 
the  younger"8  had  once  expressed  it — the  true  abode  of 
the  Muses,  where  the  celestial  powers  seemed  nearest  to 
him ;  here,  if  anywhere,  while  watching  the  waves,  he 
found  time  and  opportunity  for  self-study  and  reflection. 
He  had  now  been  living  with  his  family  in  their  quiet 
villa  ever  since  the  end  of  April,  and  had  spent  many 
hours  in  serious  meditation,  in  congenial  literary  pleas- 
ures and  diligent  study.  He  had  once  more  learned  the 
real  value  of  retirement,  which  in  Rome  was  so  unat- 
tainable. A  long  winter  of  dissipation  had  left  him 
satiated,  and  Baiae's  aromatic  air,  a  simple  existence  in 
the  bosom  of  his  family,  and  the  spirit  of  Greek  poetry 
had  combined  to  restore  his  palled  senses  and  over- 
excited nerves.  And  now,  as  the  moment  of  return  ap- 
proached, he  was  seized  more  and  more  with  the  old 
spirit  of  unrest.  He  felt  that  the  omnipotent  sway  of 
that  demon  called  Rome  would  drag  him  back  again 
into  the  vortex  of  aimless  tragi-comedy,  and  now  a  last 
glance  at  the  smiling  and  slumbering  sea  was  a  positive 
craving  of  his  heart. 

117.  HE  RAVED  ABOUT  THE  SEA.      The  Romans'  love  for  the 
sea  is  proved  by  manv  passages  in  their  literature,  but  still  more 
by  the  ruins  of  their  villas  and  palaces,  which  bordered  its  most  beau- 
tiful shores,  and  were  praised  by  contemporaries  for  their  views, 
(iriedlander,  Sittcngesch.,  II,  p.  129). 

118.  PLINY  THE  YOUNGER.    C.  Plinius  Caecilius  Secundus,  a 
nephew  and  adopted  son  of  the  older  Pliny,  was  born  A.  D.  62,  at 
Novum  Comum,  now  Como,  on  the  Lake  Larius,  Lake  of  Como,  on 
the  banks  of  which  he  had  several  villas.    (Ep.  IX.  7.)    He  died  about 
the  year  114.    A  clever  writer,  a  skilful  statesman,  an  enthusiast  for 
everything  good  and  beautiful,  he  possessed  an  amiable  character, 
but  cannot  be  wholly  absolved  from  the  reproach  of  self-sufficiency. 
His  writings,  especially  his  letters,  are  an  important  source  of  infor- 
mation concerning  the  social  conditions  of  that  period.     The  passage 
in  Plinv  to  which  allusion  is  here  made,  runs:  "Oh,  sea!  Oh,  strand  1 
Thou  beloved  Museion !   How  much  ye  compose  and  create  for  me  1" 


QUINTUS    CLAUDIUS.  63 

He  slowly  climbed  the  hill.  At  about  a  hundred 
paces  up,  there  was  a  spot  whence  he  could  see  over  the 
roofs  of  the  tallest  villas  and  down  into  the  valley.  His 
eye,  though  his  purpose  was  to  look  far  away  and  across 
the  sea,  was  irresistibly  riveted  by  an  object  that  was 
quite  close  at  hand.  To  his  right  a  by-path  led  down 
towards  the  palace  of  the  Empress,  and  the  huge  portico, 
with  its  Corinthian  columns,  gleamed  pale  and  visionary 
in  the  doubtful  light.  But  what  attracted  the  young 
man's  attention  was  a  little  side-door,  which  slowly  turned 
on  its  pivot  "9  with  a  slight  noise,  letting  a  female  figure  in 
Greek  dress  pass  out  into  the  road.  Quintus  recognized 
Euterpe,  the  flute-player.  Limp  and  weary  she  climbed 
the  steep  slope,  her  eyes  fixed  on  the  ground,  and  as  she 
came  closer,  Quintus  could  see  that  she  had  been  weep- 
ing bitterly. 

"  Good  morning,  all  hail !"  he  cried,  when  the  young 
woman  was  within  a  few  steps  of  him.  Euterpe  gave  a 
little  cry.. 

"  It  is  you,  my  lord !"  she  said  with  a  faint  smile. 
"  Returning  so  late  from  Cumae  ?" 

"  No,  my  good  Euterpe.  I  am  up  not  late,  but 
early.  But  what  in  the  world  have  you  been  doing  at 
this  hour  in  Domitia's  palace  ?  Has  she  been  giving  a 
feast?  You  do  not  look  as  if  you  had  gathered  a  har- 
vest of  gold  or  flowers." 

"  Indeed,  my  lord,  no  !"  replied  Euterpe,  again  melt- 
ing into  tears.  "  I  have  been  to  visit  a  friend,  who  is 
suffering  terribly.  Down  in  Baiae,  where  I  was  playing 


119.  ON  ITS  PIVOT.  Doors  were  not  usually  hung  on  hinges,  as 
with  us,  but  had  on  their  upper  and  lower  edges  wedge-shaped  pivots 
(cardines)  which  fitted  into  corresponding  depressions  in  the  threshold 
and  upper  part  of  the  frame. 


64  QUINTUS   CLAUDIUS. 

at  night  in  the  house  of  the  wealthy  Timotheus,  Agathon 
the  seer  gave  me  herbs  and  salves — they  cost  me  a 
heavy  sum — and  since  then  I  have  been  in  there.  .  .  . 
Oh !  his  wounds  are  horrible. .  .  .  But  what  am  I  talking 
about !  He  is  only  a  slave,  my  lord;  what  can  Quintus 
Claudius  care  ....?" 

"  Do  you  think  so  ?"  said  Quintus,  interrupting  the 
agitated  speaker.  "  But  I  am  not  made  of  stone ;  I 
know  full  well,  that  though  among  slaves  there  is  many 
a  scamp,  there  are  also  worthy  and  excellent  men. 
And  if,  to  crown  all,  he  is  the  friend iao  of  so  charming  a 
creature.  ..." 

"  Nay,  my  lord,  you  will  have  your  jest  —  but  if  you 
could  only  see  him,  poor  Eurymachus!  If  you  could 
know  how  faithful  he  is,  and  how  noble !" 

"  Well,  I  call  that  being  desperately  in  love !" 

Euterpe  colored.  "  No,"  she  said  modestly.  "  I 
can  accuse  myself  of  many  sins,  but  Eurymachus — no 
evil  thought  ever  entered  his  mind." 

"  Is  love  a  sin  then  ?" 

"  I  am  married." 

"  Here — you  were  not  wont  to  be  so  strict !" 

"  And  the  greater  pity !  If  I  had  always  known 
Eurymachus,  as  I  know  him  now. . . ." 

"  Indeed !  and  how  do  you  know  him  now  ?" 

"  He  has  opened  my  eyes ;  I  know  now  how  deeply  I 
have  sinned. . . ." 

"  He  is  a  philosopher  then,  who  converts  fair  sinners 
from  their  evil  ways  ?" 

120.  FRIEND.  Quintus  would  speak  of  Eurymachus  as  the 
4  friend'  of  Euterpe  with  intentional  double  meaning,  half  in  the  usual 
honest  sense,  but  partly  too  in  the  sense  which  the  feminine  form, 
arnica,  had  acquired  in"  the  course  of  time;  a  signification  so  am- 
biguous, that  the  bluntest  frankness  was  better. 


QUINTUS  CLAUDIUS.  $5 

"He  is  a  hero!"  exclaimed  Euterpe  with  enthu- 
siasm. 

"  You  do  not  stint  your  praise.  Does  he  belong  to 
the  Empress  ?" 

"  To  her  steward,  Stephanus.  Ah  I  my  lord,  he  is  a 
tyrant " 

"  So  they  say." 

"  How  he  treated  the  poor  fellow !  It  beats  all  des- 
cription. For  one  single  word  he  had  him  flogged  till 
he  was  raw,  and  then  tied  him  up  in  the  park  in  the 
noontide  sun.  The  gnats  and  flies. . . ."  But  at  the 
woman's  last  words  Quintus  had  gone  nearer  to  her. 

"  Listen,"  he  said  hurriedly:  "  I  believe  I  know  your 
Eurymachus — a  pale  face  with  a  dark  beard — quiet, 
contemning  pain  —  standing  by  the  stake  like  a 
martyr. .  . ." 

"  You  saw  him  ?"  cried  Euterpe,  smiling  through  her 
tears.  "  Yes,  it  was  he  indeed.  No  one  else  has  that  ex- 
traordinary power  of  defying  every  torment.  Now  he  is 
lying  half-dead  on  his  bed;  his  whole  back  is  one 
dreadful  wound,  and  yet  not  a  complaint,  not  a  word  of 
reproach !  Fortunately  the  gate-keeper  is  my  very  good 
friend.  He  sent  me  a  message ;  otherwise  very  likely 
Eurymachus  might  have  died  in  his  misery,  without  my 
knowing  it.  But  I  hope,  I  hope  the  charm  may  save 
him." 

"  Listen,  child,"  said  Quintus  after  a  pause :  "  You 
shall  see,  that  I  know  how  to  value  courage,  even  in  the 
person  of  a  slave.  Here,  take  this  gold  and  spend  it  for 
the  benefit  of  the  sufferer,  and  by  and  bye,  when  he  is 
well  again,  write  to  me  in  Rome;  then  we  "will  see  what 
can  be  done  next," 

"  Oh,  my  lord !"  cried  the  flute-player  vehemently, 

Vol.  I.  c 


66  QUINTUS   CLAUDIUS. 

"  you  are  like  the  gods  for  graciousness  and  kindness. 
Do  I  understand  rightly,  that  we  may  hope  from  your 
goodness. . . ." 

"  Understand  all  you  please,"  interrupted  the  youth 
kindly.  "  The  chief  point  is,  that  you  should  remind  me 
of  it  at  the  right  moment.  In  Rome  a  man  forgets  his 
nearest  relations." 

"  I  will  remind  you,"  said  Euterpe,  radiant.  "  Sooner 
should  I  forget  to  eat  and  drink.  About  the  middle  of 
next  month  I  am  going  to  the  capital  with  Diphilus,  my 
husband.  He  is  a  master-carpenter,  and  will  have  work 
to  do  on  the  grand  erections  for  the  Centenary  Festival. 
If  you  will  allow  me,  I  will  myself  remind  you  in  person." 

"  Do  so,  Euterpe." 

"  Oh,  my  lord !  I  thank  you  from  the  bottom  of  my 
heart.  The  man  who  is  protected  by  Quintus  Claudius, 
is  as  safe  as  a  child  in  its  cradle." 

Joy  lent  so  sweet  an  expression  to  the  young  crea- 
ture's face,  that  Quintus  was  irresistibly  moved  to  stroke 
her  cheek,  and  in  the  excess  of  her  delight  she  submitted 
to  the  caress,  though,  as  we  know,  she  had  vowed  hence- 
forth to  give  Diphilus  no  cause  for  complaint. 

At  this  moment  a  magnificent  litter,  borne  by  eight 
gigantic  negroes,  appeared  on  the  highest  level  of  the 
road.  It  was  escorted  by  four  men-at-arms,  and  in  it, 
leaning  on  the  purple  cushions  and  only  half-veiled,  re- 
clined Domitia.  The  seething  fever  of  her  passion  and 
anger  had  driven  her  to  seek  the  air  soon  after  midnight, 
and  for  hours  the  slaves  had  to  carry  her  about  the 
wooded  ravines  of  the  landward  side  of  the  hills,  or  along 
the  deserted  roads,  until,  wearied  out  at  last,  she  was  fain 
to  turn  homewards.  Quintus,  somewhat  abashed,  with- 
drew to  one  side ;  not  so  quickly,  however,  but  that  Do- 


QUINTUS   CLAUDIUS.  67 

mitia  had  observed  his  light  caress  of  Euterpe.  She 
turned  pale  and  looked  away.  The  young  man,  who 
made  ready  to  bow  to  the  Empress,  remained  unnoticed, 
and  Euterpe  stood  as  if  turned  to  stone. 

Quintus  looked  coolly  after  her  as  she  was  borne 
away,  and  shrugged  his  shoulders;  then  he  took  Euterpe 
by  the  hand. 

"  It  is  a  bargain  then,"  he  said  in  distinct  tones. 
"  You  will  find  me  in  Rome  !  Now,  farewell — till  we 
meet  again." 

He  turned  towards  home ;  sea  and  sunrise  were  alike 
forgotten.  Euterpe  hurried  down  to  Cumae,  and  disap- 
peared behind  the  ridge  at  the  same  instant  as  the  Em- 
press within  the  Corinthian  portico  of  the  palace. 

In  a  few  minutes  the  Claudia  family  were  sitting  in 
the  triclinium  to  take  a  slight  breakfast  before  starting. 
Octavia  was  thoughtful ;  her  husband's  letter  had  made 
her  anxious.  She  knew  how  stern  a  view  Titus  Claudius 
took  of  his  duties,  and  how  much  would  devolve  upon 
him  in  these  agitated  times.  Claudia  too  was  graver 
than  usual.  Only  Aurelius  and  Lucilia  looked  bright  and 
contented.  —  Lucilia,  warm  and  rosy  from  her  busy  exer- 
tions in  the  court-yard  and  atrium — and  in  her  excite- 
ment she  would  not  give  herself  time  to  do  more  than 
drink  a  cup  of  milk  and  swallow  a  morsel  of  sesame- 
cake.  ** 

The  respectable  Herodianus  too,  against  his  custom, 
was  silent.  What  could  be  so  absorbing  to  that  simple 
and  garrulous  nature  ?  From  time  to  time  he  frowned 
and  stared  at  the  ceiling,  moving  his  lips  in  silent  speech 
like  a  priest  of  the  Pythian  oracle.  The  honey,  gener- 

121.  SESAME  CAKE.  Sesamum  (<nj<roMOK)  was  a  plant  with  pods, 
from  whose  fruit  was  obtained  a  savory  meal  or  oil. 


68  QUINTUS   CLAUDIUS. 

ally  his  favorite  dainty — he  left  untouched;  the  egg  he 
was  about  to  empty  with  a  spoon1"  broke  under  his 
fingers.  Aurelius  was  on  the  point  of  taking  the  matter 
seriously,  when  the  mystery  found  a  natural  solution. 
When,  presently,  Blepyrus  appeared  to  announce  that  it 
was  time  to  start,  the  ponderous  ponderer  rose,  went  to 
the  door,  and  began  to  exclaim  with  terrible  pathos  a 
valedictory  poem  of  his  own  composition.  It  was  based 
on  the  model  of  the  world-renowned  Hymenaeus"3  of 
Catullus;1*4  and  its  climax  was  the  most  extravagant 
refrain,  that  the  Muse  of  occasional  verse  ever  hatched 
in  mortal  brain. 

For  a  few  minutes  the  party  listened  in  respectful 
silence  to  the  cadences  of  this  solemn  effusion ;  but  as  it 
went  on  and  on,  apparently  endless,  Lucilia,  who  from 
the  first  had  had  great  difficulty  in  keeping  countenance, 
broke  into  a  fit  of  laughter,  and  Aurelius  good-naturedly 
put  a  stop  to  the  freedman's  recitation. 

"  I  mean  no  offence,  my  excellent  Herodianus  ;  but 
though  poetry  is  said  to  be  the  mirror  of  reality,  it  must 
not  interfere  too  much  with  the  progress  of  real  events. 
Twelve  times  already  have  you  resolutely  asserted :  '  Far 
must  we  wander,  far  from  hence !'  but  our  feet  are  still 


122.  THE  USB  OP  SPOONS  was  not  so  general  in  Rome  as  with 
us,  but  was  certainly  customary  for  eating  eggs  in  good  society. 

123.  HYMENAEUS.  A  well-known  poem  by  Catullus ;  the  burden 
is :  "  O  Hymen,  Hymtnae!"    (Carmen  61,  Collis  o  Heliconu.) 

124.  CAIUS  (OR  QUINTUS)  VALERIUS  CATULLUS  was  a  native 
of  Verona  (B.  C.  77)  and  died  at  the  age  of  thirty.     His  works  were 
most  popular  at  the  period  of  our  story.     Martial  frequently  compares 
himself  with  Catullus  as  a  recognized  classic,  and  in  one  passage 
hopes  that  he  may  one  day  be  esteemed  as  second  only  to  Catullus. 
Herodianus  takes  one  of  Catullus's  poems  as  a  model,  just  as  a  worthy 
citizen  of  Germany,  who  wished  to  essay  lyric  poetry,  might  copy 
Schiller. 


QUINTUS  CLAUDIUS.  69 

rooted  to  the  spot.  You  may  give  us  the  rest  of  your 
poem  on  board  the  vessel,  but  for  the  present  make  way 
and  take  this  ring  as  the  prize  for  your  effusion." 

Herodianus,  who  had  at  first  been  half  inclined  to 
take  the  interruption  in  ill-part,  felt  himself  fully  indem- 
nified by  his  master's  gift,  but  his  gaze  lingered  for  a 
while  in  silent  protest  on  Lucilia.  However,  he  presently 
joined  the  rest  of  the  party,  who  were  mounting  their 
horses  or  settling  themselves  in  litters,  and  soon  they 
were  all  fairly  in  motion. 

They  went  down  the  hill  in  a  long  file.  Baiae,  now 
in  full  sunshine,  seemed  to  nestle  in  a  golden  shell ;  the 
sea  was  as  smooth  as  a  mirror,  and  the  clear  atmosphere 
promised  a  prosperous  voyage.  They  soon  reached  the 
stone  quay,  where  the  motley  crowd  of  the  harbor  was 
already  at  high  tide  of  noise  and  bustle.  There  lay  the 
proud  trireme  before  their  surprised  eyes,  gaily  dressed 
out  like  a  bride  waiting  for  the  bridegroom.  Long  gar- 
lands of  flowers  floated  from  the  spars,  tied  with  purple 
knots  and  blue  streamers ;  magnificent  carpets  from  Al- 
exandria and  Massilia  hung  from  the  poop,  and  the  crew 
were  all  dressed  in  holiday  garments.  When  they  had 
got  into  the  boats  and  were  fast  approaching  the  vessel, 
strains  of  music  were  heard  greeting  the  visitors.  Claudia 
colored  deeply ;  she  recognized  her  own  song — that  im- 
passioned address  to  the  Spring,  which  she  had  sung  the 
first  evening  in  the  peristyle. 

In  ten  minutes  the  Batavia  had  weighed  anchor  and 
was  being  rowed  in  majestic  style  past  the  quays  and 
mole.  Quintus,  Claudia  and  Lucilia  leaned  silently  over 
the  side,  while  Aurelius  sat  under  the  awning  with  Oc- 
tavia,  talking  of  Rome.  Beautiful  Baiae  sank  farther 
and  farther  into  the  background  with  all  its  palaces  and 


70  QUINTUS  CLAUDIUS. 

temples.  Still,  above  the  trees,  a  corner  of  the  snug 
villa  they  had  left  was  visible,  and  to  the  left  Domitia's 
palace.  Then  the  vessel  shifted  its  course,  and  the  shin- 
ing speck  grew  smaller  and  smaller  till  it  was  lost  to 
sight. 

Claudia  wiped  away  a  stealing  tear,  while  Lucilia  in 
a  clear,  ringing  voice  shouted  across  the  waters : 

"  Farewell,  lovely  Baiae !" 


CHAPTER  VI. 

THE  house  of  Titus  Claudius  Mucianus,  the  high- 
priest  of  Jupiter,  stood  at  no  great  distance  from  the 
precipitous  Capitoline  Hill,Itslooking  over  the  Forum  Ro- 
manum  "*  and  the  Sacred  Way.1*7  Simple  and  yet  magnifi- 
cent, it  showed  in  every  detail  the  stamp  of  that  quiet, 
self-sufficing  and  confident  wealth,  that  ease  of  distinc- 
tion, which  is  so  unattainable  to  theparvfnu. 

It  was  now  October.  The  sun  was  just  appearing 
above  the  horizon.  There  was  a  motley  turmoil  in  the 
house  of  the  Flamen ;  the  vast  atrium  positively  swarmed 

125.  THE  CAPITOLINE  HILL.      Mons  Capitplinus,  north  of  the 
Palatine  and  southwest  of  the  Quirinal.     Tarquinius  Priscus  erected 
on  its  summit  the  Capitolium,  that  is  the  temple  of  Jupiter  Optimus 
Maximus,  Juno  and  Minerva. 

126.  FORUM  ROMANUM.    The  Roman  forum  par  excellence,  at 
the  foot  of  the  Capitoline  and  Palatine  Hills,  was  the  centre  of  public 
life  even  in  the  days  of  the  republic. 

127.  THE  SACRED  WAY  (Sacra  Via\  divided  the  real  Sacra  Via, 
which  led  from  the  Capitol  to  the  Arch  of  Titus,  and  the  Summa  Sacra 
Fiwjthe  upper  sacred  street)  that  extended  from  the  Arch  of  Titus  to 
the  Flavian  Amphitheatre.     Hor.  Sat.  I,  9  (Ibam  forte  Via  Sacra,  sicut 
meus  fst  mos.)     It  was  the  most  frequented  street  in  Rome.     The 
ancient  pavement  exists  at  the  present  day.     "  Via"  was  the  name  of 
the  large  principal  streets,  as  it  still  is  at  the  present  time  in  Italy. 


QUINTUS   CLAUDIUS.  71 

with  men.  Most  of  these  were  professional  morning 
visitors — waiters  in  the  ante-chamber — known  also 
from  the  gala  dress  in  which  they  were  expected  to  ap- 
pear, as  "Toga- wearers;"  the  poor  relations  of  the  house, 
clients  and  protege's.1"8  Still,  there  were  among  them  not 
a  few  persons  of  distinction,  members  of  the  senate  and 
upper-class,  court  officials  and  magistrates.  It  was  a 
scene  of  indescribable  variety  and  bustle.  The  world  of 
Rome  in  miniature.  Petitioners  from  every  point  of  the 
compass  eagerly  watched  the  slaves,  on  whom  their  ad- 
mission depended.  Rich  farmers,  who  desired  to  bring 
a  private  offering  to  Jupiter  Capitolinus,  sat  open- 
mouthed  on  the  cushioned  marble  seats,  gaping  at  the 
handsomely-dressed  servants  or  the  splendid  wall-paint- 
ings and  statues.  Young  knights  from  the"  provinces, 
whose  ambition  it  was  to  be  Tribune  of  a  legion,"9  or  to 


128.  CLIENTS  AND  PROTEGES.  These  were  the  clients  mentioned 
in  note  99.    Juvenal  (Sat.  5)  and  especially  Martial,  in  various  pas- 
sages, speak  of  their  pitiable  situation,  the  contempt  in  which  they  were 
held  and  the  ill-treatment  they  had  to  endure  even  from  their  patrons' 
slaves.    (See  Friedlander  I,  247  10252.)    The  usual  visiting-hour  was 
just  after  sunrise. 

129.  TRIBUNE  OF  A  LEGION.    Augustus  appointed  the  so-called 
legati  or  pratfccti  legionum  commanders  of  the  legions.    The  legatus 
thus  corresponded  with  our  colonel.     The  next  in  rank  to  the  Ugati 
were  the  tribunes  (corresponding  to  our  majors)  who,  however,  with 
special  qualifications,  might  undertake  the  command  of  a  legion. 
Usually  the  tribunes  did  not  have  the  reputation  of  possessing  remark- 
able military  ability,  as  the  sons  of  the  knights  and  senators  began 
their  military  career  with  this  dignity.     According  to  their  age  and 
experience,  the  tribunes  were  second  lieutenants.    The  men  next  in 
rank  to  the  tribunes  were  the  centurions,   the  really  experienced 
officers,  who  were  held  in  high  esteem  on  account  of  their  superior 
knowledge.     At  the  time  of  our  story  the  pressure  of  the  young  men 
for  tribuneships  was  so  extraordinary,  that  the  places  actually  at  dis- 
posal were  not  nearly  sufficient  to  supply  the  demand.    The  Emperor 
Claudius  had  therefore  created  supernumerary  tribuneships   (supra 
numerum,  imaginariae  militiat  genus.     Suet.  Claud.  25)  a  brevet-rank, 
which  without  claiming  the  performance  of  any  duty,  flattered  the 
vanity. 


7  a  QUINTUS  CLAUDIUS. 

obtain  some  other  honorable  appointment,  and  who 
hoped  for  the  high-priest's  protection,  gazed  with  deep 
admiration  at  the  endless  series  of  ancestral  images1** 
in  wax,  which  adorned  the  hall  in  shrines  of  ebony. 

And  in  fact  these  portraits  were  well  worthy  of  study, 
for  they  were  an  epitome  of  a  portion  of  the  history  of 
the  world.  Those  stern,  inexorable  features  were  those 
of  Appius  Claudius  Sabinus,  who,  as  consul,  wreaked 
such  fearful  justice  on  his  troops.  Beside  him  stood  his 
brother,  the  haughty  patrician,  Caius  Claudius,  knitting 
his  thick  brows — an  embodiment  of  the  protest  of  the 
nobles  against  the  rights  contended  for  by  the  popular 
party.  There  was  the  keen,  eagle  face  of  the  infamous 
Decemvir,  the  persecutor  of  Virginia — a  villain,  but  a 
daring  and  imperious  villain.  —  Claudius  Crassus,  the 
cruel,  resolute  foe  of  the  plebeians — Appius  Claudius 
Caecus,  who  made  the  Appian  Way — Claudius  Pulcher, 
the  witty  sceptic,  who  flung  the  sacred  fowls  into  the  sea 
because  they  warned  him  of  evil  —  Claudius  Cento,  the 
conqueror  of  Chalcis  —  Claudius  Caesar,  and  a  hundred 
other  world-renowned  names  of  old  and  modern  times. 
.  .  .  What  an  endless  chain !  And  just  as  they  now 
looked  down,  head  beyond  head  from  their  frames,  they 
had  been,  all  without  exception,  stiff-necked  contemners 
of  the  people,  and  staunch  defenders  of  their  senatorial 
privileges.  A  splendid,  defiant  and  famous  race !  Even 
the  tattooed  native  of  Britain,1*1  who  came  to  offer  fine 

130.  ANCESTRAL  IMAGES.  Statues  of  ancestors,  modelled  in  wax 
(imagines  majontm)  formed  one  of  the  principal  ornaments  of  the 
atrium  in  the  houses  of  aristocratic   Romans.    The  ancestors  here 
mentioned  of  our  (imaginary)  Titus  Claudius  Mucianus  are  all  his- 
torical characters. 

131.  TATTOOED  NATIVE  OP  BRITAIN.  The  original  Celtic  inhab- 
itants of  England.     For  the  impression  made  by  Roman  magnificence 
on  the  British  chieftain  Caractacus,  see  Dio  Cas*.  LX,  33. 


QUINTUS  CLAUDIUS.  73 

amber  chains131  and  broken  rings  of  gold,153  was  sensible  of 
an  atmosphere  of  historic  greatness. 

One  after  another — the  humbler  folks  in  parties  to- 
gether— the  visitors  were  led  from  the  atrium  into  the 
carpeted  reception-room,  where  the  master  of  the  house 
stood  to  welcome  them  in  robes  of  dazzling  white- 
ness134 and  wearing  his  priestly  head-gear.135  He  had 
already  dismissed  a  considerable  number  of  impor- 
tant personages,  when  a  tall  officer,  stout  almost  to 
clumsiness,  was  announced  and  at  once  admitted,  inter- 
rupting as  he  did  the  strict  order  of  succession.  This 
was  no  less  a  person  than  Clodianus,  the  adjutant  of 
Caesar  himself.  He  came  in  noisily,  embraced  and 
kissed  the  priest  and  then,  glancing  round  at  the  slaves, 
asked  if  he  might  be  allowed  a  few  words  with  Titus 
Claudius  in  private.  The  priest  gave  a  sign ;  the  slaves 
withdrew  into  a  side  room. 

'*  There  is  no  end  to  it  all!"  cried  Clodianus,  throw- 
ing himself  into  a  large  arm-chair.  "  Every  day  brings 
some  fresh  annoyance!" 

"  What  am  I  to  hear  now  ?"  sighed  the  high-priest. 

"  Oh !  this  time  it  has  nothing  to  do  with  the  out- 
break among  the  Nazarenes  and  all  the  troubles  of  these 
last  weeks.  We  can  detect  here  and  there  extraordinary 

132.  AMBER  CHAINS.    Amber  (Electrum)  was  greatly  admired  by 
the  Romans  for  necklaces,  rings  and  bracelets,  until  its  value  decreased 
by  over-importation.    It  was  chiefly  brought  from  the  shores  of  the 
Baltic. 

133.  BROKEN  RINGS  OF  GOLD.     The  priest  of  Jupiter  was  only 
permitted  to  wear  broken  rings  of  gold,  as  closed  ones  were  the  sym- 
bols of  captivity. 

134.  ROBES  OP  DAZZLING  WHITENESS.    The  white  toga  was  the 
invariable  gala  dress  worn  at  all  ceremonious  receptions,  even  by 
the  emperors.    Great  indignation  was  felt  against  Nero,  because  once, 
when  the  senate  paid  him  a  visit,  he  wore  only  a  flowered  toga. 

135.  PRIESTLY  HEAD-GEAR.   The  Flamines  were  forbidden  to  go 
bare-headed.    They  always  wore  a  hat  (apex)  or  a  sort  of  fillet. 


74  QUINTUS    CLAUDIUS. 

symptoms,  and  fabulous  rumors  ...  for  instance  . . .  but, 
your  word  of  honor  that  you  will  be  silent ....!" 

"  Can  you  doubt  it  ?" 

"Well,  for  instance,  it  sounds  incredible. . .  but  Par- 
thenius13*  brought  it  all  from  Lycoris  the  fair  Gaul . . . 
It  is  said  that  this  Nazarene  craze  has  seized  the  very 
highest  personages . .  .  They  even  name  .  .  .  .  " 

He  stopped  and  looked  round  the  room,  as  if  he 
feared  to  be  overheard. 

"  Well  ?"  said  the  high-priest. 

"  They  name  Titus  Flavius  Clemens,13'  the  Consul . . ." 

"Folly!  a  relation  of  Caesar's.  The  man  who 
spreads  such  a  report  should  be  found  out  and  brought 
to  condign  punishment . . ." 

"  Folly !  that  is  what  I  said  too !  Infernal  nonsense . 
Still  the  story  is  characteristic,  and  proves  what  the 
people  conceive  of  as  possible . . ." 

"  Patience,  patience,  noble  Clodianus !  Things  will 
alter  as  winter  approaches.  The  wildest  torrent  may  be 
dammed  up.  But  we  are  digressing  —  what  new 
annoyance  ?" 

"  Ah !  to  be  sure,"  interrupted  Clodianus.  "  Then 
nothing  of  it  has  reached  your  ears  ?" 

"  No  one  has  mentioned  anything  to  me." 

"  They  dare  not." 

136.  PARTHENIUS.    This  historical  personage  was  a  man  of  con- 
spicuous importance  at  the  court  of  Domitian,  and  mentioned  by 
many  authors,  particularly  in  Martial's  epigrams.     He  was  (ubuuto 
fraeposttut,  (wqfanrrot  in  Dio  Cass.)  groom  of  the  bed-chamber  or  high 
chamberlain,  and  a  particular  favorite  with  Caesar.     His  companion 
in  office  Sigerus  or  Sigerius.  his  inferior  in  rank,  power  and  influence, 
will  not  be  again  mentioned  in  this  story. 

137.  TITUS  FLAVIUS  CLEMENS.    A  cousin  of  the  emperor,  was 
consul  A.  D.  95  with  Domitian,  (who  conferred  this  dignity  upon  him 
seventeen  times).    Concerning  his  conversion  to  Christianity  see  Dio 
Cass.  LXVII,  14,  as  well  as  Suet.  Dom.  15. 


QU1NTUS  CLAUDIUS.  75 

«  And  why  ?" 

"  Because  your  views  are  well  known.  They  know 
that  you  hate  the  populace — and  the  populace  yester- 
day achieved  a  triumph." 

"  And  in  what  way  ?"  asked  Claudius  frowning. 

"  In  the  circus.138  I  can  tell  you,  my  respected  friend, 
it  was  a  frightful  scandal,  a  real  storm  in  minature  1 
Caesar  turned  pale — nay  he  trembled." 

"  Trembled  !"  cried  Claudius  indignantly. 

"  With  rage  of  course,"  said  Clodianus  in  palliation. 
"  The  thing  occurred  thus.  One  of  the  charioteers X39 
of  the  new  party — those  that  wear  purple — drove  so 
magnificently,  that  Caesar  was  almost  beside  himself 
with  delight.  By  Epona,  the  tutelary  goddess  of  horses!140 
but  the  fellow  drove  four  horses  that  cannot  be  matched 

138.  IN  THE  CIRCUS.     The  Circus  Maximus,  between  the  Aven- 
tine  and  Palatine  Hills,  was  the  principal  place  for  the  horse  and 
chariot  races,  and  in  Domitian's  time  accommodated  about  a  quarter 
of  a  million  spectators. 

139.  CHARIOTEERS.     As   the  givers  of  entertainments  could 
rarely  furnish  men  and  horses  enough  of  their  own  for  the  games 
in  the  circus,  companies  of  capitalists  and  owners  of  larger  families 
of  slaves  and  studs,  undertook  to  supply  them.      As  there   were 
usually  four  chariots  in  each  race,  there  were  four  such  companies, 
each  of  which  furnished  a  chariot  for  each  race,  and  as  the  chariots 
and  drivers  had   colors   to  distinguish   them,  each   adopted  one  of 
these  colors,  hence  they  were  called  factions  or  parties.    (Friedlander, 
II,  192.)      The  colors  of  these  four  parties  were  white,  red,  green 
and  blue.     Domitian  added  two  new  ones,  gold  and  purple.    Like 
so  many  of  Domitian's  institutions,   this  circus  innovation  passed 
without  leaving  any  trace,  but   the  original  parties,  especially  the 
green  and  the  blue,  lasted  -for  centuries.      The  whole  population 
of  Rome,  and  afterwards  that  of  Constantinople,  divided  into  different 
parties,  each  of  which  sided  with  one  of  these  circus  factions.     The 
eager,  even  passionate  interest  with  which  this  was  done,  finds  a  feeble 
analogy  at  the  present  day  in  some  phases  of  English  and  American 
popular  life. 

140.  BY  EPONA,  THE  TUTELARY  GODDESS  OF  HORSES  !  Epona 
(from  epus-equus,  the  horse)  was  the  protecting  deity  of  the  horse,  mule 
and  donkey.     (Juv.  Sat.  VIII,  157.)     Stables,  etc.,  were  adorned  with 
her  statue.     Roman  sportsmen  swore  by  the  goddess  of  horses.     (See 
Juv.  Sat.  VIII,  156 :  jurat  tolam  Eponan* 


76  QtttNTUS  CLAUDIUS. 

in  the  whole  world.  Incitatus,141  old  Caligula's  charger, 
was  an  ass  in  comparison,  and  the  names  of  those 
splendid  steeds  are  in  every  one's  mouth  to-day  like  a 
proverb :  Andraemon,  Adsertor,  Vastator and  Passerinus'4* 
— you  hear  them  in  every  market  and  alley ;  our  poets 
might  almost  be  envious.  And  the  charioteer  too,  a 
free  Greek  in  the  service  of  Parthenius  the  head  cham- 
berlain, is  a  splendid  fellow.  He  stood  in  his  quadriga143 
like  Ares  rushing  into  battle.  In  short  it  was  a  stupend- 
ous sight,  and  then  he  was  so  far  ahead  of  the  rest — I 
tell  you,  no  one  has  won  by  so  great  a  length  since  Rome 
was  a  city.  Scorpus144  is  the  rascal's  name.  Everyone 


141.  INCITATUS.  the  swift  —  tquo  incitato — in  a  stretching  gallop 
— a  famous  favorite  horse  of  the  emperor  Caligula.  (Suet.  CaJ.  155.) 
The  emperor  built  this  animal  a  palace,  gave  orders  that  it  should  feed 


from  an  ivory  manger,  and  be  attended  by  slaves  clad  in  rich  garments. 
When  it  was  to  appear  in  the  circus,  all  noise  in  its  neighborhood 
was  prohibited  during  the  whole  of  the  preceding  day,  that  the  noble 
creature's  rest  should  not  be  disturbed.  Caligula  is  said  to  have  in- 
tended to  make  his  Incitatus  consul. 

142.  ANDRAEMON,  ADSERTOR,  VASTATOR  AND  PASSERINUS. 
Names  of  horses  frequently  mentioned  during  the  reign  of  the  Roman 
emperors.     Andraemon   often   won  the    race    in   Domitian's    time. 
Monuments  with  the  portrait  of  this  racer  have  come  down  to  us. 

143.  QUADRIGA.    A  carriage  in  front  of  which  four  horses  were 
fastened  abreast.    The  racing  quadrigae  were  exactly  like  the  old 
Homeric  chariot — being  provided  with  a  breast-work  in  front  while 
open  in  the  rear. 

144.  SCORPUS.    A  famous  chariot-driver  in  Domitian's  time,  see 
the  epitaph  Martial  composed  for  him.     (Martial  Ep.  X,  53.) 

"  I  am  that  Scorpus,  glory  of  the  race 
Rome's  admired  joy,  but  joy  for  a  short  space, 
Among  the  dead  Fates  early  me  enroll'd, 
Numb'ring  my  conquests,  they  did  think  me  old." 

ANON,  1695. 

That  the  name  of  Scorpus  was  on  every  lip  appears  from 
passage  in  Martial  Ep.  XI,  i,  which  runs  as  follows: 
"  Nor  will  your  follies  by  those  few 
Be  told ;  but  when  their  stories  flag 
Of  some  new  bet  or  running  nag. 
HAY. 

where  the  Incitatus  to  whom  reference  is  made  is  not  Caligula's  horse, 
already  mentioned,  but  a  racer  nam«d  for  it. 


QUINTUS  CLAUDIUS.  77 

was  fairly  carried  away.  Caesar,  the  senators,  the 
knights  —  all  clapped  till  their  hands  were  sore.  Even 
strangers,  the  watery-eyed  Sarmatians145  and  Hyperbo- 
reans M*  shouted  with  delight." 

"Well?"  asked  Titus  Claudius,  as  the  narrator 
paused. 

"  To  be  sure — the  chief  point.  Well,  it  was  known 
that  Caesar  would  himself  grant  the  winner  some  per- 
sonal favor,  and  every  one  gazed  at  the  imperial  tribune 
in  the  greatest  excitement.  Caesar  ordered  the  herald 
to  command  silence.  '  Scorpus,'  said  he,  when  the  up- 
roar was  lulled,  '  you  have  covered  yourself  with  glory. 
Ask  a  favor  of  me,'  and  Scorpus  bowed  his  head  and 
demanded  in  a  firm  voice,  that  Domitian  should  be  re- 
conciled to  his  wife." 

"  Audacious !"  cried  Titus  Claudius  wrathfully. 

"There  is  better  still  to  come.  Hardly  had  the 
charioteer  spoken,  when  a  thousand  voices  shouted  from 
every  bench :  *  Dost  thou  hear,  oh  Caesar  ?  Leave  thy 
intrigue  with  Julia  ! M7  We  want  Domitia !'  There  was 
quite  a  tumult,148  a  scandalous  scene  that  defies  descrip- 
tion." 

145.  SARI&ATIANS.    A  people  in  what  is  now  Poland  and  Tartary. 
(See  Mart.  Sped.  3.) 

146.  HYPERBOREANS.    People  who  lived  above  Boreas,  fabulous 
folk  dwelling  in  the  extreme  north ;  also  Northmen  in  general.    For 
instance    Martial    includes    among    the    Hyperboreans,   the  Chatti 
(Hessen)  and  Dacians,  inhabitants  of  eastern  Hungary. 

147.  JULIA.    The  daughter  of  the  Emperor  Titus,  with  whom 
Domitian  for  a  long  time  had  unlawful  relations.    Dio  Cass.  LXVII, 
3.  Suet  Dom.  22. 

148.  A  TUMULT.     Many  things  are  related  about  such  tumults. 
They  were  partly  impromptu,  partly  carefully  prepared.     A  strik- 
ing instance  of  the  latter  style  is  told  by  Dio  Cassius  (LXXII,  13) 
where  a  cunningly-planned  circus-riot  causes  the  fall  of  the  hated 
lord  high-chamberlain  Oleander.      This  omnipotent  favorite  of  the 
Emperor  Commodus  had  enraged  the  people  by  a  series  of  the  bold- 


78  QUINTUS  CLAUDIUS. 

"  But  what  do  the  people  mean  ?  What  has  so  sud- 
denly brought  them  to  make  this  demand  ?" 

"  Oh !"  said  Clodianus,  "  I  see  through  the  farce. 
The  whole  thing  is  merely  a  trick  on  the  part  of 
Stephanus,  Domitia's  steward.  That  sly  fox  wants  to 
regain  for  his  mistress  her  lost  influence.  Of  course  he 
bribed  Scorpus,  and  the  gods  alone  know  how  many 
hundred  thousand  sesterces  the  game  must  have  cost 
him.  The  spectators'  seats  were  filled  on  all  sides  with 
bribed  wretches,  and  even  among  the  better  classes  I  saw 
some  who  looked  to  me  suspicious." 

"This  is  bad  news,"  interrupted  the  high-priest 
"  And  what  answer  did  Domitian  give  the  people  ?" 

"  I  am  almost  afraid  to  tell  you  of  his  decision." 

"  His  decision  could  not  be  doubtful,  I  should  sup- 
pose. By  giving  Scorpus  leave  to  ask  what  he  would, 
he  pledged  himself  to  grant  his  prayer.  But  how  did  he 
punish  the  howling  mob  that  stormed  around  him  ?  I 
too  regret  our  sovereign's  connection  with  his  niece,  but 
what  gives  the  populace  the  right  to  interfere  in  such 
matters  ?" 

"  You  know,"  replied  the  other, "  how  tenderly  these 
theatre  and  circus  demonstrations  have  always  been 
dealt  with.  Domitian,  too,  thought  it  prudent  to  smother 
his  just  anger  and  to  show  clemency.  When  the  herald 
had  once  more  restored  order,  Caesar  said  in  a  loud 

est  frauds,  during  a  period  of  great  scarcity.  Tust  as  the  horses  were 
starting  for  the  seventh  race  a  throng  of  boys,  fed  by  a  tall,  formidable 
looking  woman,  rushed  into  the  arena.  The  children  loaded  Oleander 
with  the  fiercest  curses,  the  people  joined  them,  all  rose  and  rushed 
furiously  towards  the  emperor's  Quintilian  villa.  Commodus,  a  very 
cowardly  man.  was  so  terrified,  that  after  a  short  struggle  he  com- 
manded Oleander  and  his  little  son  to  be  slain.  The  mob  dragged 
the  corpse  of  the  chamberlain  about  in  triumph,  mutilated  it,  and  stuck 
the  bead  on  a  pole  as  a  sign  of  victory. 


QUINTUS    CLAUDIUS.  79 

voice :  '  Granted/  and  left  his  seat.  But  he  was  deeply 
vexed,  noble  Claudius." 

"  Well  and  then  ?"  asked  the  Flamen  in  anxious  sus- 
pense. 

"  Well,  the  matter  is  so  far  carried  out,  that  in  the 
secretary's149  room  to-day  an  imperial  decree  was  drawn 
up,  calling  upon  Domitia150  to  return  to  her  rooms  on 
the  Palatine,  and  granting  her  pardon  for  all  pasl 
offences." 

"  And  Julia?" 

"  By  Hercules  1"  laughed  Clodianus.  "  With  regard 
to  Julia,  Caesar  made  no  promises."  XSI 

"  Then  I  greatly  fear,  that  this  reconciliation  will 
only  prove  the  germ  of  farther  complications." 

"  Very  possibly.  It  has  been  the  source  of  annoy- 
ance enough  to  me  personally.  Caesar  is  in  the  worst  of 
humors.  Do  what  you  can  to  soothe  him,  noble  Clau- 
dius. We  all  suffer  under  it. . . ." 

"  I  will  do  all  I  can,"  said  the  priest  with  a  sigh. 
Clodianus  noisily  pushed  back  his  chair.  "  Domitian 
is  waiting  for  me,"  he  said  as  he  jumped  up.  "  Farewell, 


149.  SECRETARY.    The  modern  equivalent  for  the  office  of  "at 
epistvlu,"  held  under  Domitian  by  the  freedman  Abascantus.     (Stat. 
Stiv.  V,  I.)    At  a  later  period — under  Hadrian  and  afterwards — such 
offices  were  held  only  by  men  of  knightly  rank. 

150.  CALLING  UPON  DOMITIA.  We  here  follow  a  passage  (some- 
what doubtful,  it  is  true)  of  Dio  Cassius  (LXVII,  3)  which   states 
that  the  emperor  "  at  the  entreaties  of  the  people,"  became  reconciled 
to  his  wife.     Suetonius  (Dom.  3)  says,  he  only  alleged  such  a  desire  on 
the  part  of  the  people,  but  really  received  the  empress  again  "  because 
the  separation  from  her  became  unendurable."    For  special  reasons 
our  story  fixes  the  time  of  this  reconciliation  in  the  year  95,  while  it 
actually  occurred  some  time  earlier. 

151.  WITH   REGARD  TO  JULIA,    CAESAR   MADE   NO   PROMISES. 

See  Dio  Cass.  LXVII  3.   He  became  reconciled,  "but  without  giving 
*p  Julia." 


80  QUINTUS  CLAUDIUS. 

my  illustrious  friend.  What  times  we  live  in  now !  How 
different  things  were  only  three  or  four  years  ago  !*' 

Claudius  escorted  him  to  the  door  with  cool  formal- 
ity. The  slaves  and  freedmen  now  came  back  again 
into  the  room,  and  ranged  themselves  silently  in  the 
background,  and  the  "  nomenclator"  the  "  namer,"  whose 
duty  it  was  to  introduce  unknown  visitors,  came  at  once 
to  Claudius  and  said  hesitatingly  : 

"  My  lord,  your  son  Quintus  is  waiting  in  the  atrium 
and  craves  to  be  admitted." 

A  shade  of  vexation  clouded  the  high-priest's  brow. 

"  My  son  must  wait,"  he  said  decisively ;  "  Quintus 
knows  full  well,  that  these  morning  hours  belong  neither 
to  myself  nor  to  my  family." 

And  Quintus,  the  proud,  spoilt  and  wilful  Quintus, 
was  forced  to  have  patience.  The  Flamen  went  on 
calmly  receiving  his  numerous  friends,  clients  and 
petitioners,  who  retired  from  his  presence  cheerful  or 
hanging  their  heads,  according  as  they  had  met  with  a 
favorable  or  an  unfavorable  reception.  Not  till  the  last 
had  vanished  was  his  son  admitted  to  see  him. 

Quintus  had  meanwhile  conquered  his  annoyance  at 
the  delay  he  had  been  compelled  to  brook,  and  offered 
his  father  his  hand  with  an  affectionate  gesture ;  but 
Titus  Claudius  took  no  notice  of  his  son's  advances. 

"  You  are  unusually  early,"  he  observed  in  icy  tones, 
"or  perhaps  you  are  but  just  returning  from  some  cheer- 
ful entertainment — so-called." 

"  That  is  the  case,"  replied  Quintus  coolly.  "  I  have 
been  at  the  house  of  Lucius  Norbanus,  the  prefect  of  the 
body-guard.  The  noble  Aurelius  was  also  there,"  he 
added  with  an  ironical  smile.  "  Our  excellent  friend 
Aurelius." 


QUINTUS   CLAUDIUS.  8 1 

"  Do  you  think  to  excuse  yourself  by  casting  reflec- 
tions on  another  ?  If  Aurelius  shares  your  dissipation 
once  or  twice  a  month,  I  have  no  objections  to  raise — I 
have  no  wish  to  deny  the  right  of  youth  to  its  pleasures. 
But  you,  my  son,  have  made  a  rule  of  what  ought  to  be 
the  exception.  Since  your  return  from  Baiae,  you  have 
led  a  life  which  is  a  disgrace  alike  to  yourself  and  to  me." 

Quintus  looked  at  the  floor.  His  respect  and  his  de- 
fiant temper  were  evidently  fighting  a  hard  battle. 

"  You  paint  it  too  black,  father,"  he  said  at  last,  in  a 
trembling  voice.  "  I  enjoy  my  life — perhaps  too  wildly; 
but  I  do  nothing  that  can  disgrace  you  or  myself.  Your 
words  are  too  hard,  father." 

"  Well  then,  I  will  allow  that  much ;  but  you,  on 
your  part,  must  allow  that  the  son  of  the  high-priest  is 
to  be  measured  by  another  standard  than  the  other 
youths  of  your  own  rank." 

"  It  might  be  so,  if  I  lived  under  the  same  roof  with 
you.  But  since  I  am  independent  and  master  of  my 
own  fortune . . . ." 

"  Aye,  and  that  is  your  misfortune,"  the  priest  inter- 
rupted. "  Enough,  you  know  my  opinion.  However, 
that  which  caused  me  to  require  your  presence  here  to- 
day, was  not  your  course  of  life  in  general.  A  particular 
instance  of  incredible  folly  has  come  to  my  ears ;  you 
are  playing  a  wicked  and  dangerous  game,  and  I  sent  for 
you  to  warn  you." 

"  Indeed,  father,  you  excite  my  curiosity." 

"  Your  curiosity  shall  at  once  be  satisfied.  Is  it  true 
that  you  have  been  so  rash,  so  audacious,  as  to  address 
love-songs  to  Polyhymnia,  the  Vestal  maiden  ?"  *" 

152.  VESTAL  MAIDEN.  Priestess  of  Vesta,  the  goddess  of  the 
hearth.  At  first  they  were  four,  afterwards  six.  They  were  chosen 

VA  L  6 


&2  QUINTUS   CLAUDIUS. 

Quintus  bit  his  lip. 

"  Yes,"  he  said,  "  and  no.  Yes,  if  you  consider  the 
superscription  of  the  verses.  No,  if  you  imagine  that 
the  poem  ever  reached  her  hands." 

The  priest  paced  the  room  with  wide  strides. 

"  Quintus,"  he  said  suddenly :  "  Do  you  know  what 
punishment  is  inflicted  on  the  wretch,  who  tempts  a  Ves- 
tal virgin  to  break  her  vows  ?" 

"  I  do." 

"  You  know  it !"  said  the  priest  with  a  groan. 

"  But  father,"  said  Quintus  eagerly :  "  You  are 
branding  a  jest  as  a  crime.  In  a  merry  mood,  inspired 
by  wine,  I  composed  a  poem  in  the  style  of  Catullus, 
and  to  complete  the  audacity  of  it,  instead  of  the  name 
of  Lycoris,  I  placed  at  the  beginning  that  of  our  highly- 
revered  Polyhymnia.  And  now  report  says — Pah! 
it  is  ridiculous !  I  grant  you  it  was  impudent,  unbecom- 
ing, in  the  very  worst  taste  if  you  will,  but  not  calumny 
itself  can  say  worse  of  it  than  that." 

"  Well,  it  certainly  sounds  less  scandalous  from  that 
point  of  view.  Quintus,  I  warn  you.  Now,  if  at  any 
time,  be  on  your  guard  against  any  deed,  any  expression, 
which  may  be  construed  as  an  insult  to  the  religion  of 
the  state !  Do  not  trust  too  much  to  the  influence  of 
my  position  or  of  my  individuality.  The  law  is  mightier 
than  the  will  of  any  one  man.  When  what  we  are  now 
planning  takes  form  and  life,  severity,  inexorable  as  iron, 
will  decide  in  all  such  questions.  That  reckless  jest 

between  the  ages  of  six  and  ten,  and  were  obliged  to  remain  in  the 
service  of  the  goddess  thirty  years,  ten  as  novices,  ten  as  acting  priest- 
esses, and  ten  to  instruct  novices.  Their  principal  task  was  to  keep 
the  sacred  fire  alive.  They  were  vowed  to  chastity,  and  if  they  broke 
their  vows  were  buried  alive  in  the  campus  sceleratust  while  the  seducer 
was  publicly  flogged  to  death. 


QUINTUS    CLAUDIUS.  83 

sprang  from  a  mind,  which  no  longer  holds  dear  the  eter- 
nal truths  of  religion.  Beware,  Quintus,  and  conceal 
this  indifference;  do  not  come  forward  as  a  contemner 
of  the  gods.  Once  more  I  warn  you." 

"Father " 

"  Go  now,  my  son,  and  ponder  on  what  I  have 
said." 

Quintus  bowed  and  kissed  the  stern  man's  hand. 
Then  he  left  the  room  with  a  quick,  firm  step,  and  a 
look  of  devoted  love,  of  passionate  paternal  pride  fol- 
lowed him  as  he  crossed  the  room,  so  tall,  lovely  and 
handsome. 


CHAPTER  VII. 

LYCORIS,  the  fair  Gaul,  was  giving  a  splendid  enter- 
tainment. Valerius  Martialis,  the  greatest  wit  of  the 
city  of  the  Seven  Hills,  had  recited  his  newest  and  most 
poignant  epigrams  with  loud  applause,  and  the  company 
— more  than  a  hundred  persons — were  reclining  at  sup- 
per on  cushioned  divans  in  the  lavishly-decorated  eating- 
room.  The  young  Massilian  lady  presided.  With  her 
neck  and  shoulders  half-veiled  in  transparent  gauze153 
from  Cos,  her  magnificent  golden-yellow  hair  knotted 
up  at  the  back  of  her  head  and  wreathed  simply  with 
ivy,  she  smiled  radiantly  from  the  head  of  the  table,  the 
object  of  silent  worship  to  many,  and  of  eager  admiration 
to  all.  A  number  of  slaves,  in  handsome  Alexandrian 

153.  TRANSPARENT  GAUZE.  The  island  of  Cos  (K£*)  belonging 
to  the  Sporades,  furnished  garments  made  from  a  half-transparent  silk 
gauze  called  coa.  (See  Hor.  Sat.  I.  2,  101.) 


84  QUINTUS   CLAUDIUS. 

dresses,  moved  quickly  and  silently  about  the  handsome 
hall,  while  across  the  supper  table  the  conversation  each 
instant  grew  more  lively. 

Among  the  guests  was  Caius  Aurelius,  the  young 
Batavian.  He  had  yielded  to  the  pressure  of  curiosity 
or  of  fashion — particularly  when  the  name  of  the  famous 
epigrammatist  had  weighed  down  the  scale. 

"  Really,"  he  was  saying  to  his  neighbor  Norbanus 
— the  commandant  of  the  Praetorian  guard — "  really, 
Norbanus,  till  this  hour  I  had  esteemed  myself  rich,  but 
here  I  feel  by  comparison  a  beggar.  What  splendor, 
what  lavish  outlay!  Pillars  of  alabaster,  enormous 
gold  plates,154  carpets  worth  an  estate — my  senses  reel. 
Everything  which  elsewhere  would  appear  rare  and 
choice  is  here  in  every  day  use.  By  Hermes !  but  the 
father  of  Lycoris  must  have  been  a  favorite  of  fortune." 

"  Not  so  loud !"  interrupted  Lucius  Norbanus.  "  See, 
Stephanus  is  looking  this  way  with  a  meaning  glance." 

" Stephanus ! I5S  The  Empress's  steward?  What 
has  he  to  do  with  Lycoris  ?" 

"  Ha!  well,  I  will  tell  you  that  another  time,"  said  the 
officer  filling  his  mouth  with  a  fine  oyster,156  "  between 
ourselves,  you  know.  Meanwhile,  I  strongly  advise  you 
to  taste  those  delicious  mollusks.  If  you  are  like  me, 
laughing  has  made  you  ferociously  hungry." 


154.  GOLD  PLATES.  A  room  has  been  discovered  on  the  Aventine, 
whose  walls  were  concealed  by  gilded  bronze  plates  encrusted  with 
medals ;  on  the  Palatine  there  was  an  apartment  lined  with  plates  of 
silver,  set  with  precious  stones.     The  halls  and  chambers  in  Nero's 
domus  aurea  were  covered  with  golden  plates. 

155.  STEPHANUS.     I  have  taken  considerable  liberties  in  dealing 
with  this  personage  in  his  relation  to  the  Empress  Domitia.     He  is, 
however,  historical. 

156.  THE  OYSTER,  (ostrea  or  ostreum)  was  considered  a  great 
dainty  in  ancient  times.    (See  note,  42,  Vol.  I,  "  lobster.") 


QUINTUS   CLAUDIUS.  85 

"You  certainly  laughed  most  heartily,"  replied 
Aurelius  accepting  some  of  the  praised  dish  from  a  slave; 
"  but  I,  for  my  part,  cannot  get  up  any  taste  for  this 
kind  of  verse.  Martial  is  full  of  wit  and  humor,  but  this 
perpetual  mockery,  this  making  a  business  of  holding  up 
all  society  to  ridicule  and  contempt — no,  my  dear  Nor- 
banus,  I  cannot  like  it.  More  particularly  does  the  way 
in  which  he  speaks  of  women  displease  and  vex  me.  If 
he  is  to  be  believed,  there  is  not  in  all  Rome  one  faithful 
wife,  or  one  innocent  girl.'"57 

"Pah!"  said  Norbanus,  with  his  mouth  well  filled: 
"  There  are  some  of  course,  but  they  are  scarce,  my  dear 
Aurelius,  remarkably  scarce." 

"  What  is  amusing  you  so  much,  Norbanus  ?"  asked 
Quintus  from  his  place  opposite. 

"  The  old  theme — women  !  Aurelius  thinks,  that  our 
laurel-wreathed  poet  has  sinned  basely  against  the  ladies 
of  Rome,  by  hinting  in  his  epigrams  his  doubts  of  their 
virtue." 

157.  THERE  is  NOT  IN  ALL  ROME  ONE  FAITHFUL  WIFE,  OR 
ONE  INNOCENT  GIRL.  See  Martial  Ep.  IV,  71. 

"  Long  have  I  search'd,  my  Soph,  the  town, 
To  find  a  damsel  that  would  frown, 
But  not  a  damsel  will  deny. 
As  if  a  shame  't  were  to  be  shy  ; 
As  if  a  sin,  will  no  one  dare : 
I  see  not  one  denying  fair. 
'  Then  of  the  fair  is  no  one  chaste  ?' 
A  thousand,  Soph,  you  urge  in  haste. 
'  What  does  the  chaste?  Enlarge  my  views.' 
She  does  not  grant,  nor  yet  refuse.  ' 

ELPHINSTON. 

In  contrast  to  the  hyperbolical  expressions  of  the  satirical  writers,  we 
are  made  acquainted  in  the  letters  of  the  younger  Pliny,  with  a  num- 
ber of  women  of  noble  character ;  the  historians  too,  especially  Tacitus, 
as  well  as  inscriptions  on  the  monuments  prove  —  if  proof  were  re- 
quired—  that  even  in  this  corrupt  age  feminine  virtue  and  loftiness  of 
character  were  not  rare.  It  is  natural,  that  a  satirical  author  should 
have  special  keenness  of  vision  for  errors  and  weaknesses. 


ex 

86  QUINTUS   CLAUDIUS. 

"  Who  ?  What  ?"  cried  the  poet  himself,  hastily  look, 
ing  round.  "  What  Ravidus15*  is  here,  to  take  up  the 
cudgels  against  my  iambics  ?" 

This  quotation  from  Catullus,  the  favorite  poet  and 
model  of  the  epigrammatist,  did  not  fail  of  its  point,  for 
every  one,  with  the  single  exception  of  the  blushing 
Aurelius,  was  reminded  by  it  that  Ravidus  was,  in  that 
passage,  called  a  "  crazed  and  witless  wretch." 

"  It  was  I,"  said  Aurelius  coolly.  "  But  it  was  not 
your  verse  that  I  criticised,  but . . .  however,  you  heard. 
If  a  woman  is  no  more  to  you  than  the  beetle,  the  snake 
that  wriggles  in  the  dust,  I  can  but  pity  your  experience." 

"Yours  then  has  been  more  fortunate?"  laughed 
Martial. 

"  I  should  hope  so,  indeed !" 

Lycoris,  who,  though  at  some  distance,  must  have 
heard  every  word,  was  chatting  vehemently  with 
Stephanus,  her  neighbor  on  her  left,  who  kept  his  gaze 
alert,  though  with  an  air  of  reserve  and  dignity.  Two 
of  her  companions,  pretty  but  by  no  means  maidenly 
personages,  stared  contemptuously  at  Aurelius  as  if  to 
say :  "  Well,  what  a  booby  !" 

"  Here  is  to  your  health,  worthy  Cato  of  the  North  !" 
cried  Martial  mockingly.  "  Reveal  his  name  to  me,  O 
Muse !  and  I  will  dedicate  to  you  five  and  twenty  epi- 
grams on  his  virtue." 

"He  has  a  sharp  muzzle,"  muttered  Norbanus  to 
Aurelius.  "  You  will  get  the  worst  of  it." 

"  No  doubt  of  that,"  said  Aurelius.  "  Fencing  with 
words  was  never  my  strong  ground." 

158.  WHAT  RAVIDUS?.  The  poem  to  which  Martial  here  alludes 
is  found  Cat.  Carm.  XL. 

"  Quaenam  te  mala  mens,  miselle  Ravide 
Agit  praecipitem  in  meos  iambos?" 


QUINTUS   CLAUDIUS.  87 

"Just  my  case;  and  I  cannot  stand  his  accursed 
ribaldry.  These  fellows  are  like  eels,  it  is  impossible  to 
hold  them.  It  is  the  city  tone,  my  dear  friend !  Our 
Stephanus  now — only  see  how  the  man  is  made  up  — 
now,  full  in  the  light.  By  Castor!  he  is  touched  up  and 
painted  like  a  wench — Stephanus  again,  is  a  master  in 
the  war  of  words.  But  he  gives  you  a  pebble  for  a  gem ; 
everything  about  him  is  false,  even  his  hair.  But  beware 
of  him ;  he  will  try  to  make  mince-meat  of  you." 

"  I  say,  Martial,"  said  a  harsh  voice:  "  Who  is  going 
to  publish  the  epigrams  you  gave  us  to-day  ?" 

"  I  do  not  yet  know.     Possibly  Tryphon." I59 


159.  TRYPHON,  (LUPERCUS).  The  episode  described  here,  which 
seems  almost  like  a  satirical  allusion  to  the  present  time,  is  only  one 
of  Martial's  epigrams  transposed  into  action.  (Mart.  Ep.  I,  117.) 


"  As  oft,  Sir  Tradewell,  as  we  meet, 
You're  sure  to  ask  me  in  the  street, 
When  vou  shall  send  your  boy  to  me, 
To  fetch  my  book  of  poetry?  etc." 
OLDHAM. 

The  bookseller  Atrectus,  who  had  a  shop  on  the  Argiletum,  a 
public  square  not  far  from  the  Forum  Caesaris,  is  also  mentioned. — 
Traces  of  a  well-organized  book-trade  are  found  towards  the  end  of  the 
republic.  The  first  publisher  on  a  larger  scale  is  Pomponius  Atticus, 
a  friend  of  Cicero,  who  formally  issued  a  series  of  Cicero's  works,  for 
instance  the  Orator,  Quaestiones  Academicae,  etc.,  and  not  only  dis- 
tributed them  to  the  different  bookstores  in  Rome,  but  supplied  the 
numerous  shops  in  Greece  and  Asia  Minor.  (See  Cic.  ad.  Att.  XII,  6, 
XV,  13,  XVI,  5.)  Yet  Atticus  was  a  patron  of  literature  and  an 
aesthetic,  rather  than  a  business  man.  The  best-known  booksellers 
and  publishers  under  the  emperors  were:  the  Brothers  Sosii,  who 
issued  the  works  of  Horatius  Flaccus  (Hor.  Ep.  I,  20,  2,  Ars.  poet. 
345) ;  Dorus,  the  Phillip  Reclam  junior  of  ancient  times,  who  in  the 
reign  of  Nero  introduced  cheap  popular  editions  of  Livy  and  Cicero, 
(Sen.  Benef.Vll,  61)  and  Martial's  publisher,  the  Tryphon  mentioned 
in  this  story.  (Mart.  Ep.  IV,  72,  XIII,  13.)  The  editions  were  pro- 
vided by  slaves,  who  wrote  from  dictation.  The  books  were  delivered 
in  covers,  the  backs,  glued  together,  being  fastened  in  the  hollow  of  a 
cylinder,  through  which  ran  a  revolving  stick.  The  volumes  were  cut, 
the  edges  were  dyed  sometimes  black  and  sometimes  purple.  (See 
G611:  ^  Book-trade  of  the  Greeks  and  Romans,"  Schleiz.,  1865.)  Pollio 
Valerianus  published  Martial's  early  poems.  (Mart.  Ep,  I,  113,  5.) 


88  QU1NTUS   CLAUDIUS. 

"  And  when,  my  friend  ?" 

"  Well,  in  the  course  of  the  month." 

"  So  soon  ?  Listen,  when  the  book  comes  out,  may 
I  send  to  you  to  borrow  a  copy  ?" 

"  You  are  too  kind,  my  dear  Lupercus ;  but  why 
should  you  give  yourself  and  a  slave  so  much  trouble?  I 
live  quite  high  up  on  the  Quirinal.160  You  can  get  what 
you  want  much  nearer  to  you.  You  pass  every  day  by 
the  Argiletum.  There  you  will  find  a  very  interesting 
shop,  exactly  opposite  the  Forum  of  Caesar.  Atrectus, 
the  bookseller,  will  feel  himself  honored  in  selecting  a 
beautiful  copy  for  you — almost  given  away  too,  as  I 
may  say,  for  with  purple  letters  and  smoothly  pumiced 
it  costs  but  five  or  six  denarii."  •"• 

"  Six  denarii !"  exclaimed  Lupercus.  "  That  is  too 
dear  for  me.  I  have  to  be  saving  with  my  money." 

"  And  I  must  be  saving  with  my  books." 

"  It  is  not  every  one,  who  knows  how  to  be  obliging!" 

"  Nay,  do  not  give  up  all  hope,"  retorted  the  epi- 
grammatist scornfully.  "  Make  your  wants  known  at 
all  the  street-corners,16*  and  perhaps  some  costennon- 
ger t63  will  lend  you  a  copy." 

"  Why  is  Martial  so  hard  upon  him  ?"  asked  Aure- 
lius  of  the  praetorian  guardsman.  "This  Lupercus 
seems  to  be  in  narrow  circumstances." 


160.  QUIRINAL.    Martial's  house  was  near  the  temple  on  the 
Quirinal.     (Mart.  Ep.  X,  58.) 

161.  DENARII.    At  the  time  of  Domitian,  the  denarius  (10  as,) 
was  worth  about  15  cents. 

162.  STREET-CORNERS.     Large  square  tablets,  whitened,  for  the 
display  of  public  notices,  stood  at  the  corners  of  the  streets.    A  tablet 
of  this  description  was  called  album,  (albus  white). 

163.  COSTERMONGER.      Roiled  chick-peas  were  publicly  carried 
about  for  sak.    (Martial  Ep.  I,  41,  I,  103.) 


OUINTUS  CLAUDIUS.  89 

"  Ha,  ha!"  laughed  Norbanus.  "With  an  income 
of  two  hundred  thousand  sesterces  ..." 

"  Impossible !  how  can  a  man  be  at  once  so  rich  and 
so  mean  ?" 

"You  are  in  Rome,  Aurelius — do  not  forget  that  you 
are  in  Rome.  Here  extremes  meet ;  here  everything  is 
possible,  even  the  impossible." 

It  was  now  growing  dusk,  and  in  a  few  minutes  hun- 
dreds of  costly  bronze  lamps  were  lighted,  some  hang* 
ing  in  candelabra  from  the  ceiling,  some  elegantly 
arranged  round  the  pilasters  and  columns.  Indeed  it 
was  not  till  this  moment,  that  the  banquet  really  assumed 
the  aspect  intended  by  the  artistic  and  extravagant  im- 
agination of  the  hostess.  The  beaten  silver  of  the  mas- 
sive bowls164  and  platters  gleamed  brightly  under  the 
wreaths  of  flowers  and  garlands  of  foliage,  while  the 
huge  wine-jars  and  costly  Murrhine  vases,  **  the  jovial 
and  purpled  faces  of  the  guests,  the  splendid  dresses,  the 
pearls  and  gems — all  were  doubly  effective  under  the 
artificial  light. 

One  costly  delicacy  was  followed  by  another;  all 
the  productions  of  the  remotest  ends  of  the  earth  met  at 
the  banquet  of  Lycoris.  Fish  from  the  Atlantic  ocean, 
Muraenae  from  Lake  Lucrinus,  Guinea-fowls  from  Nu- 
midia,166  young  kids  from  the  province  of  Thesprotis l67  in 

164.  MASSIVE  BOWLS.    The  crater  (crater  or  cratcra)  was  a  large 
Tase  or  bowl,  in  which  strong  wine  was  mixed  with  water.    A  ladle 
was  used  to  fill  the  drinking-cups. 

165.  MURRHINE  VASES,  (murrhina  vasa).    Vases  made  oftnurrha, 
a  material  with  a  pale  sheen  in  it,  highly  valued  by  the  ancients ;  prob- 
ably fluor-spar. 

166.  GUINEA-FOWLS  PROM  NUMIDIA.  (aves Numidkae  or  merely 
Numtduat)  were  a  favorite  dish.     (Plin..  Hut.  Nat.  Mart,  etc.) 

167.  THE  PROVINCE  OP  THESPROTIS  in  Epirus,  extended  from 
Chaonia  to  the  Ambmcian  Gulf.     The  goats  raised  there  were  con- 
sidered exceptionally  good. 


90  QUINTUS   CLAUDIUS. 

Epirus,  pheasants  from  the  Caspian  Sea,1*  Egyptian 
dates,1*9  dainty  cakes170  from  Picenum,  figs  from  Chios,'7' 
pistachio  nuts17*  from  Palestine — rwere  all  here  of  the 
choicest  quality  and  elaborately  prepared.  Euphemus,1'3 
Caesar's  own  head-cook,  could  have  done  no  more. 
Nor  could  anything  be  more  perfect,  than  the  grace  with 
which  the  handsomely-dressed  slaves  offered  each  dainty 
on  long  slices  of  bread.  After  each  dish  had  gone  round, 
little  boys  with  wings  brought  in  magnificent  onyx  jars 
filled  with  perfumed  water,  which  they  poured  over  the 
hands  of  the  guests.  The  long  flowing  hair  of  a  female 
slave I74  served  to  dry  them,  in  the  place  of  the  more 
usual  linen  or  asbestos  napkin.  In  such  trifles  as  these 
Lycoris  loved  to  be  original. 

During  the  meal  an  intermezzo  had  now  and  then 
interrupted  the  eager  conversation.  Black -haired  girls 
from  Gades  and  Hispalis175  had  come  in,  dancing  to 

168.  PHEASANTS  FROM  THE  CASPIAN  SEA.  At  the  time  of  our 
story,  these  birds  were  a  newly-introduced  delicacy.     Phasis  was  the 
name  of  the  boundary  river  between  Asia- Minor  and  Colchis ;  hence 
their  name  phasitutus  \  (avis  Phasiana,  or  merely  Phasiana,  or  Pka- 
sianus — the  pheasant.)     Martial  also  calls  them  volucres  PkasitUs. 

169.  DATES.    The  best  quality  were  imported  into  Rome  from 
Egypt. 

170.  DAINTY  CAKES.    Bread  from  Picenum  is  mentioned  in 
the  menu  of  a  banquet  given  in  the  latter  half  of  the  century  B.  C., 
(Marquardt  Handbuch.  IV,  i.) 

171.  FIGS  FROM  CHIOS.  Varro.  (R,  Rust.  I,  41)  speaks  of  Chian, 
Lydian,  Chalcedonian  and  African  figs. 

172.  PISTACHIO  NUTS.  The  best  pistachio  nuts  came  from  Pales- 
tine and  Syria,  whence  Lucius  Vitellius  introduced  them  into  his 
garden  at  Albanum. 

173.  EUPHEMUS.    Caesar's  head-cook  or  butler.    (See  Martial 
Ef.  iff.  8.) 

"  The  tenth  hour's  proper  for  my  book  and  me, 
And  iuphem,  thou  who  dost  the  board  o'ersee." 

ANON,  1695. 

174.  THE  LONG   FLOWING   HAIR  OF  A  FEMALE   SLAVE.    This 
fancy  was  not  at  all  unusual.     (See  Pttron,  27.) 

175.  HISPALIS.    A  city  in  southern  Spain,  now  Seville. 


QUINTUS   CLAUDIUS.  91 

the  cadence  of  castanets 17tf  and  cymbals ;  flute-players, 
singers  and  reciters  had  given  highly-applauded  evi- 
dence of  their  talents.  But  now,  when  the  business  of 
eating  was  over  and  the  commissatio,  as  it  was  called, 
the  drinking  in  short,  was  about  to  begin,  as  was  hinted 
by  the  distribution  to  the  guests  of  fresh  wreaths  and  of 
perfumed  oils,  a  buffoon  or  jester177  made  his  appearance, 
and  soon  filled  the  hall  with  Homeric  laughter.  His 
small  and  muscular  form  was  clothed  in  gaily-colored 
scraps  of  raiment,  and  his  face  was  painted  in  strong 
colors.  Entering  the  room  with  a  hop,  skip  and  jump, 
he  performed  a  series  of  somersaults  with  great  skill; 
then  leaping  high  over  the  guests'  heads,  actually  on  to 
the  table,  he  placed  himself  in  front  of  Lycoris  and 
began  thus  in  a  high,  shrill  voice : 

"  Highly-esteemed  friends  of  this  illustrious  house, 
now  that  your  empty  stomachs  are  duly  replenished 
your  minds  too  are  to  be  no  less  delightfully  satisfied. 
1  offer  you  the  feast  of  self-knowledge ;  to  each  one  of 
you  here  I  will  shortly  and  plainly  tell  your  fortune.  If 

176.  CASTANETS.      Castanet    dances  are  often  represented  in 
pictures.     (See  O.  Jahn,  Fresco-paintings  on  the  walls  of  the  colum- 
barium, in  the  Villa  Pamfili.) 

177.  JESTER.     Jesters,   especially   dwarfs,   were  very   popular 
in  ancient  Rome.     The  scene  that  follows  here  is  based  upon  vari- 
ous incidents  in  a  description   by   Lucian,   which   has  come  down 
to  modern  times :      "  The  Banquet,  or  The  Lapithae"  18,  ip.     In  this 
a  hideous  little  fellow,  who  gives  utterance  to  all  sorts  of  jests  and 
witticisms,  appears  at  Aristaenetus'  banquet.      "  Finally  he  addressed 
each  person  with' some  mischievous  joke — and  each  laughed  as  his 
turn  came      But  when  he  accosted  Alcidamas,  calling  him  a  Maltese 
puppy,  the  latter,  especially  as  he  had  long  been  jealous  of  the  ap- 
plause and  attention  bestowed  on  the  icster  by  the  whole  company, 
grew  angrv.  threw  off  his  cloak  and  challenged  the  dwarf  to  a  boxing- 
match.     What  could  the  poor  jester  do?     it  was  infinitely  comical  to 
see  a  philosopher  fight  with  a  clown.     Many  of  the  spectators  were 
ashamed  of  the  scene,  but  others  laughed  merrily,  until  Alcidamas  was 
at  last  beaten  black  and  blue." 


92  QU1NTUS   CLAUDIUS. 

I  appear  to  you  over-bokl,  attribute  it  to  the  functions  of 
my  office;  for  audacity  is  my  vocation,  as  it  is  that  of 
the  most  honored  Martial." 

A  storm  of  applause  rang  through  the  banqueting- 
hall,  and  Martial  himself  even  laughed  heartily. 

"  Capital,  capital !"  he  exclaimed  to  the  little  man. 
"  Your  beginning  is  admirable  and  promises  much,"  and 
he  stroked  his  grizzled  beard  with  much  complacency ; 
the  jester  bowed  and  went  on  with  his  privileged  imper- 
tinences. He  flung  some  epigrammatic  and  pointed 
remark  at  one  and  another  of  the  company,  and  was 
each  time  rewarded  by  more  or  less  eager  applause. 
When  he  came  round  to  the  young  provincial,  he  grinned 
with  vicious  impudence. 

"  Oh,  noble  vestal  virgin  !"  he  exclaimed,  holding  his 
hand  before  his  face  in  affected  coyness.  "  How  much 
a  hundred  weight  does  propriety  cost  in  Trajectum  ?" 

His  former  jests  had  been  happier  and  more  pointed, 
but  not  one  had  been  so  readily  taken ;  the  company 
laughed  so  immoderately,  that  the  buffoon  had  some 
difficulty  in  making  himself  heard  again.  Aurelius, 
though  he  was  disgusted  with  the  fellow,  had  discretion 
and  tact  enough  not  to  draw  attention  to  himself;  he 
laughed  and  applauded  as  heartily  as  any  one.  Not  so, 
however,  Herodianus,  his  freedman,  who  reclined  at  the 
lower  end  of  the  table  and  had  given  himself  up  to  silent 
and  unlimited  enjoyment  of  the  Caecubum. 

"  What,  you  foul-mouthed  scoundrel  I"  he  exclaimed 
in  a  voice  of  thunder.  "  Who  are  you  scoffing  at  ?  My 
dear  friend  Aurelius  compared  to  a  woman !  Go  home, 
and  let  your  mother  teach  you  manners." 

The  company  were  in  so  jovial  a  mood,  that  they  at 
once  turned  this  interference  into  account.  When  the 


QUINTUS   CLAUDIUS.  93 

Batavian  was  about  to  reprove  Herodianus,  he  was  talked 
down,  while  the  indignant  freedman  was  spurred  on  by 
half-ironical  appeals  and  challenges. 

"  Let  him  alone,"  said  the  captain  of  the  guard : 
"  He  will  serve  the  jester's  turn  well  enough." 

"  Aye,  that  he  will !"  exclaimed  another.  "  Only 
look  at  him  knitting  his  brows.  Is  not  he  just  like  the 
Silenus  in  Stephanus'  dining-hall  ?" 

"  Just  be  so  good  as  to  hold  your  tongues,"  cried 
Quintus,  who  had  been  excessively  amused  by  Herodi- 
anus' pugnacity.  "  The  little  man  on  the  table  is  going 
to  answer  him." 

"  Silence  for  the  jester !"  shouted  a  chorus. 

The  buffoon  stood  still  with  his  hand  up  to  his  ear. 

"  Did  I  not  hear  a  pug-dog  barking  ?"  he  said  with 
inimitable  comic  gravity.  "  Yes,  there  he  lies,  a  Mal- 
tese pug !  Come,  Lailaps,  come  I  Here  are  Lucanian 
sausages !" 

Looking  impartially  at  the  freedman's  face,  it  was 
impossible  to  deny  that  the  resemblance  was  well  hit, 
but  Herodianus  could  hardly  be  expected  to  take  this 
unprejudiced  view  of  the  matter.  Forgetting  where  and 
with  whom  he  was,  he  sprang  from  his  couch,  struck  his 
fist  on  the  table,  and  shouted  out,  crimson  with  rage : 

"  Come  on,  you  braggart,  if  you  dare !  I  will  teach 
you,  I  will  show  you  that  .  .  .  that  ...  By  Hercules ! 
if  you  do  not  jump  down  this  minute,  you  are  the  most 
cowardly,  contemptible  toad  under  the  sun." 

The  little  man  sprang  like  lightning  over  Stephanus' 
head  on  to  the  floor,  turned  up  the  sleeves  of  his  parti- 
colored shirt  and  shouted  in  mockery : 

"  Come  on,  Lailaps,  come  on !  I  will  give  you  a 
thrashing." 


94  QUINTUS   CLAUDIUS. 

For  a  moment  Herodianus  seemed  to  hesitate ;  then 
he  suddenly  flew  at  the  jester  like  the  storm  of  wind 
suggested  by  his  Greek  dog-name.  The  jester,  however, 
slipped  on  one  side  as  quick  as  lightning,  and  Herodi- 
anus, who,  indeed,  was  not  very  steady  on  his  feet,  fell 
at  full-length  on  the  floor.  In  an  instant  the  buffoon 
was  sitting  astride  on  his  back. 

"  Pug,  you  are  snappish !"  he  exclaimed  in  a  trium- 
phant tone,  and  he  began  vigorously  to  belabor  every 
part  of  the  hapless  freedman,  that  he  could  reach  with 
his  powerful  fists. 

"  The  dog  must  be  broken !"  he  exclaimed  at  each 
blow.  "  Quiet,  Lailaps,  down,  my  noble  cur !" 

Herodianus,  who,  besides,  had  in  falling  damaged 
his  knees  and  elbows,  roared  like  one  possessed ;  in  vain 
did  he  try  to  throw  off  his  tormentor.  The  dwarf  clung 
to  him  tightly  with  his  legs.  The  whole  scene  was  as 
irresistibly  comical  as  though  it  had  been  planned  for 
the  delectation  of  a  blase"  and  overwrought  party  of 
drinkers.  But  Aurelius  could  no  longer  contain  himself; 
he  rose  and  went  up  to  the  combatants  with  well-as- 
sumed coolness. 

"  You  are  going  too  far,"  he  said.  "  Be  off  with  you, 
you  little  rascal." 

The  jester  paying  no  heed  to  these  orders,  found 
himself  suddenly  picked  up  by  the  girdle  and  with  one 
effort  lifted  high  into  the  air.  His  struggles  and  yells 
were  of  no  avail ;  Aurelius  carried  him  like  a  feather  to 
the  table,  and  there  set  him  down  among  the  cups  and 
wine-jars.  The  strength  and  promptness  of  the  pro- 
ceeding diverted  it  of  any  vexatious  interference;  the 
dwarf,  completely  quelled,  stood  on  the  table  like  a 
stork  that  has  had  its  wings  cut,  looking  round  half* 


QUINTUS   CLAUDIUS.  95 

frightened  and  half-angry.  The  young  Northman's  grip 
had  fairly  taken  his  breath  away,  and  a  sign  from  Lycoris 
that  he  might  withdraw  was  evidently  welcome  to  him. 
He  vanished  between  the  crowd  of  slaves  like  a  startled 
deer. 

Aurelius  had  hastened  to  the  rescue  of  Herodianus, 
who  now,  having  been  helped  on  his  feet  by  some  of 
the  servants,  found  the  greatest  difficulty  in  keeping  on 
them. 

"  Poor  fellow  1"  he  said  kindly.  "  But  you  are  really 
quite  incorrigible." 

"  Oh,  my  lord !"  groaned  Herodianus,  "  it  was  only 
on  account  of  the  Vestal  virgin !  I  should  not  have 
cared  about  being  called  a  pug!  Oh  ye  gods!  my 
knees." 

"  I  will  take  you  in  my  litter.  My  own  head  aches, 
till  it  might  split." 

"What!  are  you  going?"  said  Quintus  Claudius, 
coming  up  to  him.  "  Do  you  not  know  that  Lycoris 
has  planned  a  magnificent  surprise  for  her  guests  ?" 

"  I  know  it,  but  I  must  beg  to  be  excused.  These 
sports  are  not  to  my  taste.  Farewell  till  we  meet 
again." 

So  speaking,  he  beckoned  his  Gothic  slave,  who  took 
the  limping  freedman  round  the  body  and  held  him  up 
with  his  usual  strength  of  arm.  The  pair  went  first,  and 
Aurelius  followed  them.  All  the  company  had  by  this 
time  left  their  places,  so  his  disappearance  was  almost 
unremarked;  but  the  fair  hostess  kept  her  eye  fixed 
on  him,  till  she  lost  sight  of  her  ungracious  guest  in 
the  throng.  Then,  with  an  insidious  smile,  she  turned 
to  Quintus,  laid  her  hand  on  his  shoulder,  and  whispered 
maliciously :  "  What  sort  of  foolish  philosopher  is  that 


96  QUINTUS   CLAUDIUS. 

who  comes  here,  of  all  places,  to  plead  the  cause  of 
women  and  take  up  the  cudgels  for  a  freedman  ?" 

"  Your  foolish  philosopher,"  replied  Quintus,  "  is  one 
of  the  noblest  souls  I  ever  knew,  and  beyond  a  doubt, 
the  very  noblest  of  the  men  who  cross  your  threshold." 

"  Indeed !"  said  Lycoris,  somewhat  abashed.  "  Well, 
we  shall  have  time  by  and  bye  to  discuss  this  paragon 
of  merit !"  And  with  a  coquettish  toss  of  her  head  she 
turned  from  Quintus  and  mingled  with  the  crowd  of 
guests,  who  were  now  streaming  out  into  the  illuminated 
gardens. 


CHAPTER  VIII. 

OUTSIDE,  under  the  branches  of  the  elm  and  syca- 
more-trees, which  stretched  in  long  avenues  up  the  Vim- 
inal  and  down  again  on  the  farthest  side,  an  ingenious 
intendant  had  devised  much  such  an  entertainment  as 
in  our  days  would  be  given  under  corresponding  circum- 
stances. Thousands  of  colored  lamps  hung  in  long  fes- 
toons from  tree  to  tree.  The  quaintly-clipped  laurel 
and  yew  bushes,  that  stood  between  the  six  great  avenues, 
were  starred  with  semicircular  lights,  and  the  bronze  and 
marble  statues  held  torches  and  braziers  of  flame.  The 
open  space  between  the  two  centre  avenues  was  screened 
by  an  immense  curtain  of  purple  stuff,  which  was  fastened 
to  two  tall  masts  and  waved  mysteriously  in  the  night 
air,  casting  strange  reflections ;  to  the  right  and  left  also 
a  space  was  enclosed  and  screened  from  prying  eyes  by 
boards  hung  with  tapestry. 

"This  promises  something  delightful,"  said  Clodianus, 


QUINTUS    CLAUDIUS.  97 

addressing  Quintus  for  the  first  time  during  the  evening. 
"  She  is  a  splendid  creature,  this  Lycoris !  Always 
ready  to  spend  millions  for  the  pleasure  of  her  guests. 
Did  you  ever  see  handsomer  hangings?  Nero's  enor- 
mous velarium  I78  was  not  more  costly." 

"  Oh  !  gold  is  all-powerful !"  Quintus  said  absently. 
"  Listen,"  he  went  on,  taking  the  officer  on  one  side, 
"quite  in  confidence.  —  Is  what  I  heard  to-day  at  the 
baths  of  Titus in  true  ? — that  you  had  really  been  to 
Domitia  ?" 

"  As  you  say." 

"  It  is  true  then  ?" 

"  And  why  not  ?  You  know  what  happened  in  the 
Circus  ?" 

"  Of  course;  but  I  thought  ..." 

"  No,  there  was  no  help  for  it  this  time.  I  solemnly 
and  formally  offered  her  the  hand  of  reconciliation  in 
Caesar's  name  ?" 

"  And  Domitia  ?" 

"  To-morrow  she  will  return  an  answer  to  her  hus- 
band's message;  but,  of  course,  she  is  only  too  ready." 

At  this  moment  the  fair  Massilian  came  up  to 
them. 

"  Quintus,  one  word  with  you,"  she  begged  with  an 
engaging  smile.  "  You  will  excuse  him,  Clodianus  ?" 

The  officer  bowed. 

"  Listen,"  said  Lycoris,  as  she  drew  Quintus  away, 
u  you  must  tell  me  all  you  can  about  your  provincial 
friend.  The  man  is  unbearable  with  his  strictness  and 

178.  VELARIUM.    The  cloth  hung  across  the  amphitheatre,  to 
screen  it  from  the  sun. 

179.  THE  BATHS  OF  TITUS  were  located  near  the  Cyprius  Street, 
on  the  site  of  Nero's  domus  aurea,  which  had  been  destroyed  after  its 
builder's  death. 

VoL  I.  7 


98  QUINTUS   CLAUDIUS. 

sobriety,  and  yet  there  is  something  in  him  —  how  can  I 
explain  it? — something  that  is  wanting  in  every  one  of 
you  others  without  exception ;  a  balance  of  mind,  a 
steadfast  certainty — one  may  as  well  give  in  as  soon  as 
he  opens  his  mouth." 

And  as  she  spoke  she  laid  her  hand  familiarly  in  the 
young  man's  arm. 

"  Very  true,"  he  said  coldly.  "  Aurelius  is  not  much 
like  those  oiled  and  perfumed  gallants,  who  think  them- 
selves happy  to  kiss  the  dust  on  your  sandals.  But  that 
boy  is  waiting  to  speak  to  you." 

Lycoris  looked  round;  a  young  slave,  who  had 
slowly  followed  her,  glanced  at  her  significantly 

"  Madam,"  he  said,  "  everything  is  ready." 

"  Ah  ?"  said  the  lady.  "  The  actors  are  ready  ?  Very 
good ;  then  let  the  music  begin." 

The  slave  bowed  and  vanished.  Lycoris  impercep- 
tibly guided  her  companion  into  a  thickly  overgrown 
sidewalk. 

"  We  have  time  to  spare,"  she  said,  "  and  the  music 
sounds  much  better  from  here  than  up  there  from  the 
terrace.  What  were  we  talking  about  ?  ....  oh !  the 
Batavian  ....  Why  did  you  not  bring  your  strange 
specimen  to  my  house  sooner  ?" 

"  Because  he  has  not  long  been  in  Rome." 

"  In  Rome  .  .  .  ."  repeated  Lycoris  vaguely.  Her 
eyes  were  searching  the  shrubbery.  Then,  recollecting 
herself,  she  went  on  talking  vivaciously.  Thus  the  couple 
lost  themselves  farther  and  farther  in  the  recesses  of 
the  garden  ;  their  conversation  ceased,  and  they  listened 
involuntarily  to  the  Dionysiac  hymn  which  reached  them 
in  softened  tones  from  the  distance.  Out  here  even,  in 
this  remote  alley,  everything  was  festally  illuminated ; 


QUINTUS    CLAUDIUS.  99 

every  leaf,  every  pebble  in  the  path,  shone  in  many- 
colored  hues.  And  yet,  how  deserted,  how  lonely  it  was, 
in  spite  of  the  lights !  there  was  something  uncanny  and 
ghostly  in  their  doubtful  flicker  and  sparkle.  Suddenly 
Lycoris  stood  still. 

"  By  the  Styx !"  she  exclaimed.  "  I  have  lost  my 
most  valuable  ring.  Not  two  seconds  since  I  saw  it  on 
my  finger !  Wait,  you  must  have  trodden  on  it ;  it  cannot 
be  twenty  paces  off  and  must  be  lying  on  the  ground." 
Before  Quintus  fairly  understood  what  had  happened, 
she  had  vanished  down  a  side  path.  The  young  man 
waited.  "  Lycoris !"  he  called  out  presently. 

No  answer. 

He  went  back  to  the  turning — of  Lycoris,  not  a  sign. 

"This  is  strange!"  thought  he.  "What  can  it 
mean  ?" 

Suddenly  he  stood  stock-still,  for  in  the  middle  of  the 
path  stood  a  girlish  form,  small,  but  well  made  and  of 
the  sweetest  grace.  She  pressed  her  finger  mysteriously 
to  her  rosebud  lips,  and  then  made  unmistakable  signs  to 
the  youth  that  he  was  to  follow  her. 

"  What  do  you  want  ?"  asked  Quintus,  going  up  to 
her. 

"  Above  all  things  silence,"  said  the  girl.  "  My  errand 
is  to  you  alone." 

"  Speak  on  then." 

"  Nay,  not  here,  noble  Quintus ;  consider  a  moment 
—  with  impenetrable  hedges  on  each  side  of  us !  If  any 
one  came  upon  us,  how  could  we  escape  ?" 

"  And  who  are  you  ?"  asked  Quintus  with  a  mean- 
ing smile. 

"  Only  a  slave — named  Polycharma.  Will  you  come 
with  me  ?" 

7* 


100  iCS. 

"  Certainly,  Polycharma,  I  follow  you." 

About  a  hundred  yards  farther  on  a  small  circular 
clearing  opened  to  their  right ;  the  entrance  to  it  was 
decorated  with  gold-colored  festoons.  Just  before  reach- 
ing this  spot  the  path  became  so  narrow,  that  a  stout 
man  could  hardly  pass  along  it ;  the  wall  of  yew  on  each 
side  had  overgrown  three-quarters  of  its  width.  Poly- 
charma drew  the  folds  of  her  dress  more  closely  round 
her  slim  limbs,  while  the  young  man  pushed  aside  the 
branches  to  the  right  and  left.  He  looked  round  once 
more  to  see  if  he  could  discover  Lycoris,  but  behind 
him  all  was  silent  and  deserted.  Even  the  sound  of  the 
music  was  only  heard  faintly  and  as  if  in  a  dream. 
Having  reached  the  round  plot,  the  slave  girl  took  a  let- 
ter out  of  her  bosom.  "  My  lord,"  she  said,  "  I  must 
exact  a  solemn  oath  from  you  ..." 

"  What  about  ?" 

"  That  you  will  keep  my  errand  an  absolute  secret,, 
and  return  me  this  letter  when  you  have  read  it." 

"  Good,  I  swear  it  by  Jupiter!" 

Polycharma  handed  him  the  note;  the  mere  sight  of 
it  filled  him  with  a  suspicion  of  its  origin.  He  hastily 
broke  the  seal  and  the  silk  thread,  and  by  the  light  of 
the  colored  lamps  which  lighted  the  place,  he  read  as 
follows : 

"  She  who  is  wont  only  to  command,  humbles  herself 
to  the  dust — so  terrible  is  the  power  of  love  to  change 
us.  The  cruel  wretch  who  scorns  me — he  is  the  god  of 
my  aspirations !  Have  pity,  O  Quintus !  have  pity  on 
the  miserable  woman,  who  is  dying  of  love  for  you. 
Caesar,  my  husband,  holds  out  his  hand  to  me  in  recon- 
ciliation. It  costs  me  but  one  word,  and  I  shall  be  again, 


QUINTUS    CLAUDIUS.  IOI 

as  I  have  been,  the  mistress  of  Rome  and  sovereign  of 
the  world.  But  behold,  beloved  Quintus,  all  this  might 
and  all  this  splendor  I  will  cast  from  me  and  go  into  the 
remotest  banishment  without  a  tear,  if  you  will  give  me, 
for  one  second  only,  the  happy  certainty  of  your  love. 
Crush  me,  kill  me,  but  ere  you  kill  me  say  you  are  mine ! 
Quintus,  I  await  my  sentence.  At  a  sign,  a  glance,  from 
you  I  reject  all  reconciliation." 

The  young  man  was  stunned ;  he  stared  speechless 
at  the  letter,  which  declared  in  such  plain  terms  a  con- 
suming passion.  And  yet,  in  spite  of  the  answering 
emotion  which  any  love — even  though  it  be  rejected — 
must  rouse  in  the  recipient,  he  could  not  shake  off  the 
feeling  which  he  had  already  experienced  at  Baiae.  A 
dull,  unutterable  loathing  remained  paramount  in  his 
soul,  and  the  foppish  figure  of  Paris,  the  actor,  rose 
clearly  before  his  fancy.  Had  not  the  ear  of  that  slave 
drunk  in  the  same  flattering  words,  as  were  now  intended 
to  intoxicate  and  ravish  him  ?  Miserable,  contemptible 
woman  —  ah!  how  differently  and  how  truly  beat  the 
proud  heart  of  his  Cornelia ! 

Cornelia! — The  thought  of  her  turned  the  balance 
finally ;  Quintus  drew  a  wax  tablet  out  of  his  bosom  and 
wrote  on  it : 

"  I  feel  and  acknowledge  the  greatness  of  the  sacri- 
fice, which  your  Highness  proposes  to  make;  but,  as  a 
true  patriot,  I  must  prefer  the  advantages  which  will  en- 
sue to  the  state  from  the  reunion  of  the  sovereign 
couple,  even  to  the  duties  imposed  by  gratitude." 

t 

He  folded  the  tablet  in  the  letter,  tied  it  up  again 


102  QUINTUS   CLAUDIUS. 

and  gave  it  to  Polycharma,  who  swiftly  vanished. 
"When  her  steps  were  no  longer  audible,  Quintus  pressed 
his  hand  over  his  eyes  and  sat  down  on  a  marble  bench 
to  reflect.  Oh  !  that  sly,  intriguing  Lycoris !'  She  too, 
then,  was  paid  by  the  Empress  as  well  as  by  Stephanus! 
Subsidized  by  both,  and  a  traitoress  to  both — for  so 
much  at  any  rate  was  certain :  Stephanus  knew  nothing 
qf  this  nocturnal  meeting.  He,  the  real  instigator  of  the 
scene  in  the  circus,  could  evidently  have  no  part  in  an 
intrigue,  of  which  the  issue  would  be  diametrically  op- 
posed to  his  own  efforts. 

Sunk  in  gloomy  reflections  on  these  unpleasing  de- 
tails, Quintus  sat  staring  at  the  ground.  Suddenly  he 
heard  footsteps,  and  confused  cries  were  audible  in  the 
distance,  mingled  with  the  clatter  of  swords  and  arms. 
The  next  minute  two  dark  figures  ran  across  the  entrance 
to  the  rotunda,  and  up  the  narrow  path  towards  the  top 
of  the  hill.  They  were  followed  by  two  others,  who 
came  less  rapidly  than  the  first. 

"  Leave  me,  for  Christ's  sake,  I  can  go  no  farther  !" 
groaned  a  piteous  voice,  which  touched  the  young  man 
strangely,  and  at  the  same  time  the  light  of  the  lamps 
fell  on  a  pale  and  suffering  face.  Quintus  recognized  the 
victim  he  had  seen  at  Baiae  tied  to  the  stake. 

"  Courage,  Eurymachus,"  whispered  his  companion, 
a  square,  thick-set  man  who  held  him  stoutly  up. 
"  Hang  on  to  my  shoulders ;  a  hundred  steps  farther,  and 
you  are  safe."  And  they  disappeared  among  the  shrub- 
bery. 

Quintus  was  not  a  little  bewildered. 

"  What  is  going  on  here  ?"  thought  he,  rising  and 
quitting  the  open  plot  for  one  of  the  side  paths.  "Is 
this  park  peopled  with  demons  ?" 


(jl'INlTS    CLAUDIUS.  103 

Again  he  heard  steps  and  voices,  more  numerous 
and  wrathful  than  before.  "This  way,  men !  There,  up 
the  path  between  the  hedges !" 

"  Do  not  let  them  get  away.  Ten  thousand  sesterces 
to  the  man,  who  brings  the  villains  back  alive !" 

And  shouting  thus  in  loud  confusion,  a  party  of 
armed  men  came  in  sight,  running  in  breathless  haste 
through  the  narrow  paths.  The  foremost  of  them  was 
now  standing  in  front  of  Quintus. 

••  Make  way,  my  lord !"  he  exclaimed  in  eager  hurry: 
"  We  are  seeking  a  criminal,"  and  he  tried  to  push  past 
Quintus. 

Strange !  but  Quintus,  the  proud  and  high-born 
Quintus,  suddenly  felt  an  unaccountable  impulse  to  pro- 
tect and  shield  the  wretched  and  contemned  slave. 

"  Insolent  knave !"  he  exclaimed  in  well-feigned  in- 
dignation :  "  Would  you  dare  to  touch  Quintus  Claudius  ?" 
And  seizing  the  astonished  man  by  the  wrist  he  flung 
him  violently  from  him.  Meanwhile  the  others  had 
come  up .  Quintus  still  barred  the  way  simply  by  stand- 
ing there.  The  band  of  men  looked  doubtfully  now  at 
the  young  nobleman,  and  then  at  their  comrade,  who  got 
up,  grumbling,  from  the  stones.  Thus  a  precious  moment 
was  gained.  At  last  Quintus  thought  it  as  well  to  un- 
derstand the  situation. 

"  Idiots !"  he  exclaimed.  "  Why  did  you  not  explain 
at  once  what  you  wanted  ?  —  instead  of  that,  you  storm 
and  rave  like  madmen  ..."  And  he  stood  aside. 

The  pursuers  rushed  by  him  in  breathless  fury. 

"  On  with  you !"  he  said  to  himself,  as  he  looked 
after  the  armed  men.  "  But  unless  I  have  reckoned 
very  badly,  the  game  has  this  time  escaped  the  hunters." 

Quintus  found  the  company  in  the  greatest  excite- 


104  QUINTUS   CLAUDIUS. 

ment ;  they  were  standing  in  agitated  knots  vehemently 
discussing  something ;  uncertainty,  alarm,  and  conster- 
nation were  visible  in  all.  The  only  man  who  appeared 
altogether  calm  and  indifferent  was  Stephanus,  haggard 
and  diplomatic  ally  reserved.  He  was  sitting  apart,  not 
far  from  the  spot  where  the  avenue  by  which  Quintus 
returned,  opened  on  to  the  terrace.  A  man  of  athletic 
build  was  lying  on  the  ground,  bleeding  from  numerous 
wounds;  in  his  right  hand  he  held  the  hilt  of  a  broken 
sword  and  his  left  was  pressed  in  speechless  anguish  to 
his  breast,  where  the  enemy's  blade  had  pierced  him. 
Five  or  six  slaves,  who  had  carried  him  hither,  were 
standing  round  him  with  expressive  gestures,  while 
Stephanus  was  making  a  pitiable  abortive  attempt  to 
cross-examine  the  dying  man.  At  about  forty  paces  far- 
ther away  four  slaves,  fearfully  injured,  were  lying  in 
their  blood.  One  had  had  his  skull  cleft  to  the  neck,  and 
the  others  were  covered  with  hideous  and  gaping  wounds. 
All  four  were  dead. 

On  the  spot  too,  where  just  now  the  curtain  of  gold- 
tissue  had  waved,  there  was  the  greatest  confusion.  The 
curtain  I8°  had  been  lowered — the  fanciful  decorations  of 
one  side  had  been  overthrown  and  nearly  half-burnt,  while 
hammers,  nails,  ropes,  fragments  of  dresses,  and  rubbish  of 
every  kind  strewed  the  stage.  In  the  midst  of  this  hideous 
disorder  a  tall  cross181  stood  upright. 

It  was  some  time  before  Quintus  could  get  any  con- 
nected account  of  what  had  happened;  at  first  ten 

180.  CURTAIN.     The  drop-scene  (as  we  should  call  it)  raised 
between  the  acts  of  a  play.       The   curtain,  properly  so-called,  was 
the  aulaeum.     These  were  not  drawn  up,  as  in  modern  theatres,  trot 
lowered. 

181.  A  TALL  CROSS.     Crucifixion  was  the  common  punishment 
of  great  crimes. 


QUINTUS    CLAUDIUS.  105 

voices  were  raised  at  once  to  their  highest  pitch  of  ex- 
planation. Lycoris  was  sulky  and  peevish,  because  the 
best  effect  of  her  whole  programme  had  been  spoilt. 
Her  friend  Leaina,  on  the  contrary,  swore  by  Hercules 
that  Quintus  had  lost  the  finest  sight  in  the  world.  His 
wily  acquaintance  Clodianus,  who  took  every  oppor- 
tunity of  assuming  airs  of  frank  bluntness,  railed  in 
threatening  bass  tones  at  the  audacity  of  the  rascals, 
and  others  wandered  off  into  questions,  so  that  Quintus 
at  last  lost  patience.  He  went  to  the  captain  of  the 
Praetorian  guard,  took  him  by  the  arm,  and  asked  al- 
most angrily : 

"  Norbanus,  will  you  tell  me  in  plain  words  ?  I  was 
absent,  in  the  remotest  part  of  the  wood,  and  on  my  re- 
turn I  find  a  perfect  chaos.  What  does  it  all  mean  ?" 

"  It  means  one  more  sign  of  the  times.  Rome  is  be- 
come a  perfect  Vesuvius ;  there  are  rumblings  and  mut- 
terings  on  every  side  and  in  every  corner.  What  do  you 
think  ?  We  were  sitting  here  very  contentedly  on  the 
garden  seats,  enjoying  the  pleasures  of  digestion.  Well, 
I  was  just  wondering  to  myself  what  this  Massilian  bay 
mare  could  still  have  in  reserve,  and  somewhat  excited 
with  curiosity,  when  the  curtain  was  lowered.  A  grand 
burst  of  music  !  and  a  fellow  dressed  in  scarlet  came  to 
the  front  and  informed  us  in  well-turned  trimeters,18"  that 
a  devilish  funny  piece  was  about  'to  be  performed,  the 
capital  punishment  of  a  criminal  slave183  named  Eury- 
machus  ..." 

182.  TRIMETER.    A  verse  of  three  double  feet  —  the  usual  metre 
in  dramatic  verse. 

183.  THE  CAPITAL  PUNISHMENT  OF  A  CRIMINAL  SLAVE.      Such 

executions  in  theatrical  form,  especially  pantomimic  representations 
of  them,  were  no  rarity  in  the  arena.  Condemned  criminals  were 
specially  trained  for  such  performances.  "They  entered,  clad  in 


106  INTUS   CLAUDIUS. 

"  What  ?"  cried  Quintus  horrified. 

"As  I  tell  you — the  execution  of  the  slave  Eury- 
machus,  who  had  sinned  gravely  against  his  illustrious 
master  Stephanus,  and  so  had  forfeited  his  life." 

"  An  execution  as  a  garden  comedy  ?  This  is  some- 
thing new,  by  Jupiter !" 

"  New  indeed !  hardly  heard  of  since  the  days  of  the 
divine  Nero." 

"  Well,  and  what  next  ?" 

"  The  speaker  announced  that  Lycoris  had  obtained 
leave  from  Parthehius,  the  head  chamberlain,  to  have 
the  execution  carried  out  in  the  semblance  of  a  jest  be- 
fore the  eyes  of  her  illustrious  and  noble  guests;  he 
begged  our  indulgence  for  the  performers,  bowed,  and 
the  entertainment  began. — You  kno\v  me,  Quintus,  and 
that  I  am  no  lover  of  such  horrible  buffoonery.  I  fought 
for  many  years  against  the  Daci'84  and  Germami, 
and  the  gods  know  that  the  sight  of  death  turns  me 

costly,  gold-broidered  tunics  and  purple  mantles,  and  adorned  with 
golden  wreaths ;  suddenly,  like  the  death-dealing  robes  of  Medea, 
flames  burst  from  these  magnificent  garments,  in  which  the  miserable 
creatures  died  a  cniel  death.  There  was  scarcely  a  torture  or  terrible 
end  known  in  history  or  literature,  with  whose  representation  the 
populace  had  not  been  entertained  in  the  amphitheatre.  Hercules 
was  seen  burning  to  death  on  Mt.  Oeta,  Mucius  Scaevola  holding  his 
hand  over  the  brazier  of  coals  till  it  was  consumed,  the  robber,  Laure- 
olus.  the  hero  of  a  well-known  farce,  fastened  to  a  cross  and  lorn  by 
wild  beasts.  At  the  same  spectacle,  another  condemned  criminal,  in 
the  character  of  Orpheus,  ascended  from  the  ground  as  if  returning 
from  the  nether-world.  Nature  seemed  enchanted  by  his  playing,  the 
rocks  and  trees  moved  towards  him,  birds  hovered  over  him,  countless 
animals  surrounded  him  ;  when  the  scene  had  lasted  long  enough,  he 
was  torn  to  pieces  by  a  bear."  (Friedlaender  II,  268.  etc.)  It  can 
scarcely  be  termed  an'unwarrantable  license,  that  Lycoris  presents  a 
similar  spectacle  for  the  amusement  of  her  guests.  The  masters'  right 
to  dispose  of  the  lives  and  persons  of  their  slaves  had  been  restricted 
in  the  first  century,  it  is  true;  but  the  omnipotent  Parthenius  was 
doubtless  superior  to  such  legal  edicts. 

184.  DACI.  A  people  living  in  the  region  now  called  Hungary, 
east  of  the  Danube. 


QUINTUS    CLAUDIUS.  1 07 

cold.  Merely  to  see  an  unarmed  wretch  butchered — do 
you  know,  Quintus,  it  always  reminds  me  of  slaughtering 
swine.  When  I  sit  there  at  my  ease,  looking  on,  a  lump 
rises  in  my  throat,  even  in  the  amphitheatre.  It  may  be 
outrageously  simple  and  quite  out  of  fashion,  but  for  the 
life  of  me  I  cannot  help  it." 

"  Go  on,  go  on !"  cried  Quintus  in  growing  excite- 
ment. 

"  Well  then ;  the  performance  began.  They  dragged 
the  man  in,  half-naked  and  crowned  with  roses.  I  cannot 
say  he  looked  to  me  like  a  dangerous  character ;  quite 
the  contrary — even  at  that  moment,  when  his  life  was  at 
stake,  he  was  quite  quiet ;  only  his  paleness  betrayed  that 
the  proceedings  were  not  altogether  pleasant  to  him. 
Then  all  sorts  of  mocking  and  games  began  at  his  ex- 
pense; men  scourged  him  or  kicked  him — all  with  con- 
summate grace — and  half-naked  girls  danced  and  leaped 
round  him  like  mad  things,  nipped  and  pinched  him, 
boxed  his  ears,  and  played  all  kinds  of  stupid  tricks. 
This  went  on  for  about  ten  minutes.  Then  the  execu- 
tioners set  a  ladder  by  the  cross  there,  flung  a  rope 
round  him  under  the  arms,  hauled  him  up,  and  the  first 
blow  of  the  hammer  was  on  the  point  of  hitting  the 
nail  in,  when  a  part  of  the  side  scene  fell  in  with  a  tre- 
mendous crash.  Four  men,  with  their  faces  blackened 
with  soot,  rushed  in  like  a  thunder-storm,  seized  Eury- 
machus — who  was  as  pale  as  death — by  the  arms,  and 
were  gone  before  the  pack  of  slaves  had  recovered  their 
senses.  The  spectators  thought  at  first  that  this  was  part 
of  the  entertainment,  till  they  were  enlightened  by  the 
angry  shouts  of  Stephanus  and  Lycoris.  Then  it  oc- 
curred to  the  half-stunned  executioners,  that  they  might 
pursue  the  men.  But  then  they  perceived,  that  in  the 


108  QUINTUS  CLAUDIUS. 

breach  made  by  the  fallen  scenery  a  tall  giant  of  a  man 
was  standing.  He  received  the  pursuers  with  a  per- 
fect storm  of  sword-strokes.  Rhodius,  the  gardener's 
son,  fell  without  a  cry,  and  the  second  man  fared  no  bet- 
ter; the  uproar  was  general,  and  the  scenery  broke  out 
in  flames.  The  whole  gang  of  them  fell  back  before  the 
one  with  a  howl,  like  dogs  before  a  wolf  at  bay.  The 
tall  fellow,  however,  retired  through  fire  and  smoke  till 
he  was  safe  outside  it  all,  and  then  he  planted  himself 
up  above  at  the  entrance  of  the  avenue  of  elms,  sword 
in  hand.  Eight  men  rushed  upon  him  at  once,  but  for 
fully  five  minutes  not  one  could  get  at  him.  Three  of 
the  assailants  bit  the  dust,  before  a  well-aimed  thrust 
pierced  the  Hercules  through  the  breast.  He  started, 
once  more  gathered  himself  together,  arid  a  fourth  man 
fell  in  front  of  him,  cleft  through  the  skull.  That  was 
the  last  of  it." 

"  A  noble  ending  truly  to  a  friendly  festival !"  said 
Quintus  glancing  at  Lycoris,  who  still  was  fuming  over 
the  disaster.  "  And  the  rash  defender  is  dead  ?" 

"  Not  yet,"  said  Clodianus  joining  them.  "  Stephanus 
is  questioning  him.  But  as  the  fellow  refuses  to  give  any 
information,  they  propose  to  torture  him  to  make  him 
speak." 

"  Impossible !"  cried  Quintus  furious.  "  His  wound 
is  mortal,  he  fought  like  a  hero.  At  any  rate  leave 
him  to  die  in  peace!"  Clodianus  shrugged  his  shoul- 
ders. 

"  Settle  that  with  Stephanus !  If  the  villain  will 
not  confess,  it  is  certainly  permissible  to  egg  on  his 
loquacity." 

Quintus  frowned.  After  a  few  minutes  of  reflection 
he  went  up  to  Stephanus,  at  the  very  instant  when  two 


QUINTUS   CLAUDIUS.  109 

slaves  came  on  to  the  terrace  with  a  steaming  cauldron 
of  water. 

"  A  very  painful  incident !"  said  Claudius  coolly. 

"  Most  painful !"  replied  Stephanus  in  the  same  tone. 
"  I  mean  to  try,  whether  the  error  may  not  be  remedied." 
And  as  he  spoke  he  gave  a  highly-significant  nod  to  the 
slaves,  who  had  set  the  cauldron  down  on  the  ground 
close  to  him.  Quintus  involuntarily  stepped  forward 
and  put  out  his  hand  in  remonstrance. 

"  I  hope,  my  good  friend,"  he  said,  still  perfectly 
coolly,  "  that  you  only  intended  to  frighten  this  villain 
— good  taste  alone  must  prohibit  .  .  .  .  " 

Stephanus  changed  color  slightly,  and  the  slaves 
looked  terrified  into  his  face.  The  tension  of  the  situa- 
tion" was  interrupted  by  the  return  of  the  armed  men, 
who  had  been  sent  after  the  fugitives  and  now  came 
back  breathless  and  streaming  with  sweat. 

"  My  lord,"  the  foremost  began,  "  we  return  as  jaded 
as  a  pack  of  hounds,  but  with  empty  hands." 

"  So  I  see,"  said  Stephanus  in  chill  tones.  "  And 
what  tavern  did  you  stop  at,  and  what  wenches  did  you 
stop  to  kiss." 

"  Forgive  us,  my  lord ! "  groaned  another  sinking  on 
to  his  knees,  partly  from  exhaustion,  and  partly  from 
terror.  "  We  rushed  up  the  hill  like  blood-hounds,185  but 
they  had  too  much  the  start  of  us." 

Stephanus  looked  down. 

"  Was  the  gate  on  to  the  Patrician  Way  "*  locked  ?" 
he  asked  frowning. 

185.  BLOOD-HOUNDS.     (Molossi.)     The  dogs  from  Molossis  In 
eastern  Epirus  were  famous  sleuth-hounds.     (Hor.  Virg.  etc.) 

186.  PATRICIAN  WAY.    (vicus  Patricius)  ran  between  the  Esqui- 
line  and  Viminal  hills. 


110  QUINTUS   CLAUDIUS. 

"  Fast  locked." 

"  1 1  is  well.  I  will  speak  to  your  mistress.  Woe  to 
you,  if  you  are  in  fault !" 

"  My  lord,"  the  first  speaker  began  again.  "  Grant 
me  to  say  one  word  of  explanation.  In  spite  of  the 
start  the  fugitives  had  gained,  we  might  have  caught 
them  if  an  accident  .  .  .  .  " 

He  broke  off  and  glanced  at  Quintus,  who  smiled 
and  told  him  to  go  on.  "Speak  fearlessly,"  he  said 
kindly.  "Accuse  me,  if  you  think  well  to  do  so — in 
fact,  you  have  every  right." 

The  slave  went  on  to  relate  how  Quintus  had  delayed 
him  and  his  comrades  in  the  narrow  hedge-grown  pas- 
sage. At  each  word  Stephanus  grew  paler,  and  Quintus 
became  more  and  more  scornful  in  air  and  demeanor. 

"  Are  this  man's  assertions  founded  on  fact  ?"  asked 
Stephanus  as  the  slave  ceased  speaking. 

"  How  am  I  to  interpret  such  a  question  ?" 

"  Exactly  as  I  ask  it.  I  am  interested  to  know 
whether  a  son  of  the  noble  Claudia  gens  can  so  far 
— condescend,  as  to  abet  the  flight  of  a  criminal  ?" 

"  That  I  did  not  say !"  cried  the  slave,  shocked. 

"  Never  mind !"  said  Quintus  reassuringly,  to  the  ex- 
cited narrator.  "  You  have  spoken  the  truth,  and  I  wijl 
vouch  for  it  at  any  moment.  When  I  was  loitering  in  the 
gardens  of  our  fair  hostess,  how  should  I  guess  that  cer- 
tain persons,  who  came  upon  me  quite  suddenly,  were 
chasing  a  runaway  slave?  And  even  if  I  had  guessed 
it,  what  is  there  to  compel  me  to  step  among  the  thorns 
and  briars,  in  order  to  make  way  for  your  thief-catchers?" 

"  Politeness  and  a  due  regard  for  the  interests  of  the 
commonwealth,"  replied  Stephanus  drily.  "  However, 
what  is  done  cannot  be  undone.  It  is  all  the  more 


QUINTUS    CLAUDIUS.  Ill 

necessary  to  act  promptly,  in  what  yet  remains  to  be 
done." 

As  he  spoke  he  went  close  up  to  the  blood-stained 
Hun,  who,  with  his  last  remaining  strength,  lifted  him- 
self up  and  cast  a  wild  glance  round  him. 

"  You  hardened  hound,"  he  said  in  a  rough,  hoarse 
voice,  "  I  will  soften  you !  Do  you  see  that  cauldron  ? 
I  ask  you  once  more :  Who  are  you  ?  Who  are  your 
fellow-conspirators  ?"  The  gasping  man's  breast  heaved 
more  rapidly. 

"  Will  you  speak  ?"  repeated  Stephanus  furiously. 
And  now,  for  the  first  time  the  victim  spoke ;  till  now  he 
had  not  uttered  a  sound. 

.   "  No !"  he  cried  with  his  last  remnant  of  strength, 
and  he  sank  back  groaning. 

"  Very  well ;  then  abide  by  your  destiny."  At  this 
moment  Quintus  Claudius  stepped  up  to  the  slaves  who 
held  the  cauldron,  his  arms  crossed  on  his  breast. 

"  Enough  of  this  horse-play !"  he  said  curtly  and 
vehemently.  "  Begone  indoors,  you  parcel  of  idiots  !  I, 
Quintus  Claudius,  command  you  to  go." 

"And  I,  Stephanus,  command  you  in  the  name  of  your 
mistress :  remain  and  obey !  Rufus,  Daedalus,  lay  hold !" 

<l  We  will  solve  this  dilemma,  as  Alexander  did  in 
Gordium,"  said  Quintus  scornfully,  and  with  these  words 
he  pushed  the  slaves  aside  and  gave  the  cauldron  a 
mighty  kick,  so  that  the  contents  poured  steaming  out 
all  over  the  terrace. 

"  This  is  violence !"  **  exclaimed  Stephanus,  involun- 
tarily raising  his  hands. 

187.  THIS  is  VIOLENCE  !  Julius  Caesar's  famous  exclamation 
just  before  his  murder,  when  Cimber  Tullius,  having  approached  him 
with  a  petition,  after  a  refusal,  seized  him  by  the  toga.  (Suet.  Jul. 
Cats.  82.) 


112  QUINTUS   CLAUDIUS. 

"  The  violence  of  reason  against  bad  taste  and  coarse 
feeling !"  said  Quintus  with  a  scowling  look.  "  I  should 
advise  you,  freedman,1*  to  keep  your  hand  hidden  away 
in  the  folds  of  your  robe,  or  in  the  depths  of  your  coffers 
and  money-boxes,  or  Quintus  Claudius  might  happen 
to  squeeze  that  hand  rather  more  tightly  than  you  would 
like!" 

At  the  word  "freedman"  Stephanus  had  turned  as 
pale  as  a  corpse.  He  closed  his  eyes  and  staggered. 
His  lean  fingers  trembled  and  twitched,  as  if  he  were 
feeling  for  a  dagger.  Then,  mastering  his  agitation  with 
an  almost  superhuman  effort,  he  said  faintly : 

"  I  do  not  altogether  understand  what  it  is  that  you 
mean,  so  I  will  not  trouble  myself  to  answer  .  .  .  you. 
Meanwhile  you  have  only  given  the  slaves  some  un- 
necessary extra  labor. — To  work,  men!  —  refill  the 
cauldron." 

"  Too  late,"  said  Quintus.  "  Your  victim  has  escaped 
you." 

*'  He  is  dead !"  cried  the  slaves. 

Stephanus  muttered  something  unintelligible  between 
his  teeth ;  then  he  ordered  that  the  body  should  be  re- 
moved. 

"  Antinous,"  said  he  to  one  of  the  slaves,  a  remarka- 
bly beautiful  young  fellow:  "I  look  to  you  to  report  all 
that  has  happened  here,  fully  and  exactly  to  the  authori- 


188.  I  SHOULD  ADVISE  vot',  FRKF.DMAN.  T*heir  former  condition 
of  slavery  affixed  an  ineffaceable  stigma  upon  all  freedmen,  especially 
in  the  eyes  of  the  old  senatorial  nobility.  Even  the  vast  power  at- 
tained bv  some  of  the  emperor's  freedmen,  for  instance  the  high  cham- 
berlain Parthenius,  was  of  no  avail  in  this  respect ;  they  too  were  at 
heart  despised  by  all  free-bom  citizens,  much  as  they  strove,  from 
motives  of  prudence,  to  conceal  this  contempt  beneath  protestations  of 
sycophantic  devotion.  Quintus'  addressing  Stephanus  as  "  freed- 
man, '  could  not  fail  to  be  taken  by  the  latter  as  a  mortal  insult. 


QUTNTUS   CLAUDIUS.  113 

ties.  If  Eurymachus  is  delivered  up  to  me  alive,  I 
promise  you  a  hundred  thousand  sesterces. — Here 
comes  Lycoris  with  the  soldiers  of  the  town-watch.19* 
Speak  to  them ;  tell  them  all  you  know,  and  offer  them 
gold ;  that  will  inspire  the  most  dilatory." 

"  I  hear  and  obey,  my  lord." 

"  I  am  tired  and  shall  withdraw.  In  ten  minutes  I 
shall  expect  to  see  you." 

"  I  shall  be  with  you  in  five." 

The  file  of  men  at  arms — a  division  of  a  military 
body,  who  performed  the  duties  of  a  town-watch,  com- 
bining the  functions  of  our  modern  firemen  and  police 
— came  up  just  at  the  right  moment  to  verify  the  death 
of  the  unknown  victim,  to  take  the  statements  of  the  as- 
sistants and  spend  an  hour  verv  comfortably  in  the 
atrium.  The  guests  of  the  fair  Lycoris  had  soon  re- 
covered from  the  unpleasant  impression  produced  by  the 
untoward  incident.  Amusements  and  sports  of  every 
kind  effaced  the  last  traces  of  its  remembrance,  and  for 
a  long  time  after  the  tones  of  luxurious  music  sounded 
through  the  starry  night 


CHAPTER  IX. 

THE   morning  was  already  grey  over  the  distant 
Sabine  hills  I9°  when  Quintus,  followed  by  his  clients  and 

189.  TOWN-WATCH,  (cohortes  urbanae}.      Besides  the  imperial 
body-guard,  specially  devoted  to  the  Caesar's  service,  there  was  a  city- 
guard.which  provided  for  the  maintenance  of  public  safety. 

190.  SABINE  HILLS.    The  Sabines,  an  old  Italian  people,  were 
the  neighbors  of  the  Latins.     Their  country  extended  northward  to 
the  domains  of  the  Umbrians,  southward  to  the  Anio  riven 

VoL  /.  I 


114  QUINTUS  CLAUDIUS. 

slaves,*1  left  the  scene  of  festivity.  With  him  came  Clo- 
dianus  and  the  poet  Martial ;  the  former  accompanied, 
like  himself,  by  a  number  of  dependents  and  satellites, 
the  latter  by  a  single  slave,  whose  smoky  little  lamp 
looked  absurd  enough  by  the  side  of  the  handsome  lan- 
terns and  torches  of  the  rest  of  the  escort. 

"  A  mad  night !"  sighed  Martial,  looking  up.  "The 
stars  are  already  twinkling  like  eyes  dim  at  leave-taking. 
Illustrious  Clodianus,  you  will  make  my  excuses  to  my 
patron,  the  chamberlain  Parthenius,  if  I  should  fail  to 
offer  my  morning  greeting.  Getting  up  early  is  my 
greatest  torment,  «*•  even  when  I  have  crept  between  the 
coverlets  at  betimes,  and  to-day,  after  this  unpardonable 
dissipation  .... 

Clodianus  laughed. 

"  I  will  explain  it  to  him,"  he  roared  out  in  the  fresh 
morning  air.  "  However — I  shall  hardly  see  him  before 
noon.  I  am  as  tired  myself,  as  if  I  had  been  sawing 
stone  all  night." 

"  Yes,  it  is  frightful  to  be  so  tired !  I  would  give  ten 
years  of  my  life,  if  I  might  only  sleep  half  the  day.  But 
on  the  contrary,  before  cock-crow,  I  must  be  out  of  bed, 
fling  my  toga  over  my  shoulders,  and  be  bowing  to 
noblemen !  By  Castor !  if  I  were  not  an  ass,  I  should 
long  since  have  fled  to  the  peace  and  quietness  of  my 
native  town !" 

"Well,  sleep  to-day  till  sundown!  Just  now  Par- 
thenius will  be  most  willing  to  excuse  you,  for  his  head 
is  so  full  of  business,  and  Caesar  makes  such  incessant 

191.  FOLLOWED  BY  HIS  CLIENTS  AND  SLAVES.  Aristocratic 
people  rarely  appeared  in  public  without  a  train  of  followers. 

193.  "  GETTING  UP  EARLY  is  MY  GREATEST  TORMENT."  See 
Martial,  Ep.  X  74,  where  the  poet,  as  the  sole  reward  for  his  verses, 
begs  to  be  permitted  to  sleep  as  long  as  he  likes  in  the  morning. 


QUINTUS    CLAUDIUS.  115 

claims  upon  his  time,  that  he  is  glad  when  his  best 
friends  leave  him  in  peace." 

"  I  heard  the  same  thing  from  my  father,"  added 
Quintus.  "  Some  great  stroke  seems  to  be  in  hand.  Is 
nothing  known  of  the  facts  ?" 

"  Pah !  it  is  the  talk  of  the  town.  Plots  dangerous 
to  the  state,  treason  to  religion  and  society,  conspiracies 
against  Caesar  .  .  .  .  " 

"But  the  facts — the  details  .  .  .  ?" 

"You  know,"  said  Clodianus  laughing,  "that  in 
affairs  of  state,  silence  is  as  important,  as  valor  is  in 
battle!" 

"  Well  said !"  cried  the  poet.193  "  With  a  little  suitable 
embellishment,  that  may  be  turned  into  a  brilliant 
epigram.  Now,  noble  friends,  I  will  bid  you  farewell 
Our  roads  are  no  longer  the  same.  I  must  climb  up 
here  to  the  temple  on  the  Quirinal,  while  you  go  down 
into  the  valley.  In  life  it  is  just  the  reverse.  Apollo 
preserve  you!"  He  hastily  turned  up  the  street,  while 
Clodianus  and  Quintus  went  on  along  the  '  Long  Way.' 

"Aye!"  said  the  crafty  Clodianus.  "I  have  con- 
stantly to  remind  myself  of  the  duty  of  silence ;  more 
than  once  has  my  rash  tongue  run  away  with  me.  I 
come  of  an  easy-tempered  race,  which  are  apt  to  talk 
without  stopping  to  think.  It  is  wrong,  by  Hercules!  — 
it  is  wrong !" 

They  had  now  reached  the  Subura.194  The  height  of 
the  five,  six,  or  more-storied  houses,195  and  the  narrowness 

193.  "WELL  SAID!"  CRIED  THE  POET.    Martial  often  flattered 
his  superiors,  even  to  servility.      See  Mart.  Ep.  XII,  n,  where  he 
praises  the  poetic  gifts  of  Parthenius. 

194.  SUBURA.    A  densely-populated  district  between  the  Forum 
Romanum  and  the  Vicus  Patricms,  occupied  by  the  poorer  classes. 

105.  HOUSES.  For  the  height  of  the  houses  in  ancient  Rome  see 
Fnedlander  I,  5  etc. 


Il6  QUINTUS   CLAUDIUS. 

of  the  way  here,  only  allowed  the  day  to  dawn  slowly 
and  late,  and  deep  gloom  still  prevailed  in  the  numerous 
taverns"6  and  entries.  At  the  same  time  busy  life  was 
already  stirring  on  all  sides;  itinerant  bakers'97  were  wan- 
dering from  door  to  door  crying  their  fresh  bread. 
Pedagogues,19*  with  their  writing  implements  and  clay 
lamps,  were  leading  files  of  boys  to  school.  Here  and 
there,  from  a  side  alley,  might  be  heard  the  croaking 
chant  of  a  teacher,  and  the  babble  of  spelling  children. '" 
Groups  of  worshippers,  on  their  way  to  perform  their 
morning  devotions  in  the  neighboring  temple  of  Isis, 
hurried  across  the  loudly-echoing  pavement. 

"  Day  is  coming  upon  us  apace,"  said  Quintus,  as 
he  stopped  in  front  of  the  entrance  to  the  "  Cyprius 
street""00  and  held  out  his  hand  to  the  adjutant. 

"  Our  roads  part  here,  and  we  must  make  haste  if  we 
mean  to  reach  home  before  sunrise." 

"  Will  you  be  at  the  Baths  at  about  noon  ?" 

"  Possibly.  —  If  I  get  up  in  time." 

196.  TAVERNS.    All  sorts  of  booths,  stands,  work-shops,  taverns 
and  barbers'  shops  stood  in  front  of  the  houses  in  the  smaller  streets, 
greatly  impeding  the  passers-by.     The  confusion  at  last  increased 
to  such  an  extent,  that  Domitian  found  himself  compelled  to  have  the 
most  obtrusive  structures  removed  in  certain  quarters  of  the  city.    One 
of  Martial's  epigrams  (VII,  61)  is  founded  on  this  incident. 

197.  ITINERANT  BAKERS.    Mart.  XIV,  223: 

41  Arise;  the  baker  is  selling  the  boys  their  breakfast." 

The  breakfast  probably  consisted  of  adipata,  i.  e.  pastry  or  cakes  made 
with  fat.  Bread  was  baked  at  home  till  the  last  years  of  the  Republic ; 
afterwards  there  were  public  bakehouses  for  the  poorer  classes. 

198.  THE  PEDAGOGUE  was  a  slave,  whose  duty  it  was  to  take 
children  to  school. 

199.  THE  BABBLE  OP  SPELLING  CHILDREN.    The  Romans  at- 
tached great  importance  to  a  distinct  and  accurate  pronunciation ; 
reading  was  taught  twice  a  day,  and  children  began  to  learn  before  the 
age  of  seven. 

aco.  THE  CYPRIUS  STREET  (viotu  Cyfritu)  led  from  the  Subura 
to  the  Flavian  amphitheatre. 


QUINTUS   CLAUDIUS.  I IJ 

"Well  then — let  us  hope  that  the  wine-cup  of  Ly- 
coris  may  leave  you  free  of  headache." 

"The  same  to  you!  Farewell."  And  with  these 
words  Quintus  went  on  his  way,  while  Clodianus  turned 
off  to  the  right. 

"  Cyprius  street "  grew  at  every  step  more  select  and 
consequently  more  deserted ;  to  the  left  the  Baths  of 
Titus  stood  up,  a  sharply-defined  mass,  against  the  rose- 
tinted  sky.  Each  time  that  Quintus  Claudius  walked  up 
the  street,  this  vast  pile  seemed  to  have  a  fresh  spell  for 
him.  The  contrast  between  the  ponderous  mass,  and  the 
tender  flush  of  Autumn  dawn  behind  him,  filled  him  with 
pleasurable  admiration,  and  his  eye  followed  a  flock  of 
pigeons,  which  for  some  few  minutes  soared  to  and  fro 
above  the  great  building  and  then,  with  sudden  swift- 
ness, flew  across  the  road. 

"  They  came  from  the  left,"  said  he  to  one  of  his 
companions.  "  Now,  if  I  believed  in  augury  from  the 
flight  of  birds,  I  should  be  forced  to  suppose  that  some 
evil  was  hanging  over  me." 

He  was  still  speaking,  when  from  the  same  side, 
where  a  narrow  path  came  down  from  the  great  Baths, 
a  muffled  figure  rushed  upon  him  and  hit  him  a  blow 
with  a  bare  poniard.  Happily  the  ruffian  at  the  same 
instant  slipped  on  the  sloping  pavement — which  was 
rendered  even  more  slippery  by  the  early  morning  dew — 
so  that  the  dagger  missed  its  aim.  and  instead  of  pierc- 
ing the  young  man's  throat,  passed  across  his  left  shoul- 
der and  through  the  folds  of  his  toga,  which  it  cut 
through  as  sharply  as  a  razor.  And  before  Quintus  quite 
understood  what  had  happened,  the  assassin  had  glided 
away  between  the  slaves  with  the  suppleness  of  a  pan- 
ther, and  vanished  in  the  direction  of  the  Subura,  The 


Il8  QUINTUS   CLAUDIUS. 

young  man  gazed  at  his  arm,  where  the  toga  and  under- 
garment hung  in  long  strips ;  the  wound  was  but  skin- 
deep,  a  spot  of  blood  had  here  and  there  oozed  out. 

"  Let  it  be !"  said  Quintus  to  the  slaves,  who  had 
crowded  round  him  when  their  first  stupified  astonish- 
ment was  over.  "  I  know  very  well  where  that  blade 
was  sharpened,  and  for  the  future  I  will  be  more  cautious. 
But  one  thing  I  must  say  to  you ;  my  good  people,  each 
and  all,  be  silent  as  to  this  attack.  You  too,  my  excel- 
lent friends  and  clients — you  know  how  easily  my  noble 
father  is  alarmed.  If  he  knew  that  there  was  in  all 
Rome  a  villain,  who  had  threatened  my  life,  he  would 
never  know  another  moment's  peace." 

"  My  lord,  you  know  us !"  exclaimed  the  slaves  and 
freedmen,  and  the  clients  too  professed  their  devotion. 

"  His  revenge  is  prompt !"  thought  Quintus,  as  he 
went  onwards.  "  I  always  knew  him  to  be  an  example 
of  audacity  and  ruthlessness — still,  such  impatience  as 
this  is  somewhat  a  surprise  to  me." 

Then  suddenly  he  stood  still,  as  a  new  and  almost 
impossible  idea  flashed  across  his  mind. — "  If  it  were  . . . 
supposing  .  .  .  Could  Domitia  .  .  .  ?" 

He  pressed  his  hands  over  his  eyes,  and  that  which 
had  at  first  seemed  so  plain,  intelligible  and  obvious, 
now  sank  back  into  the  mists  of  doubt  and  conjecture. 

The  slaves  had  by  this  time  extinguished  their  torches 
and  lanterns.  —  Broad  daylight  shone  in  cloudless  beauty 
over  the  widely-spread  city  of  the  Seven  Hills.  The 
great  temple  of  Isis  lay  flooded  with  gold ;  a  procession 
of  priests,*01  bearing  the  image  of  the  goddess,  came 
marching  down  the  street. 

201.  A  PROCESSION  OF  PRIESTS.  Solemn  processions  of  priests 
through  the  city  formed  one  of  the  principal  features  in  the  worship  of 


QUINTUS   CLAUDIUS.  1 19 

"  Get  on  !"  cried  Quintus.  "  I  am  tired  to  death.  It 
was  a  folly,  Blepyrus,  to  dismiss  the  litters." 

"It  was  wisdom,  my  lord!"  said  the  slave.  "If  I 
still  am  honored  with  your  confidence,  I  would  again 
repeat ..." 

"  Ah  well !"  Quintus  interrupted.  "  Very  likely  you 
are  right — you  leeches  are  always  right.**  If  only  you 
attain  a  proportionate  result !  But  if  exercise  were  every- 
thing, I  should  be  the  lightest-hearted  man  in  Europe. 
Nay,  my  good  Blepyrus,  this  dissatisfaction,  this  intol- 
erable sense  of  ill  lies  deeper  ..." 

In  a  few  minutes  they  had  reached  home.  The  os- 
tiarius303  was  standing  at  the  door,  as  if  the  master  of  the 
house  were  impatiently  expected.  Quintus  was  about  to 
cross  the  threshold,  when  he  heard  himself  loudly  called 
by  name. 

"  What  do  I  see  ?  Euterpe !  All  hail  to  you—so 
soon  returned  to  Rome  ?" 

"  Yes,  my  lord,  since  yesterday,"  answered  the  flute- 
player  hastily.  "  And  ever  since  I  came,  I  have  been 
incessantly  trying  to  find  you.  Do  you  still  remember," 
she  went  on  in  a  low  voice,  "  what  you  promised  me  at 
Baiae  ?" 

"  Certainly,  my  pretty  one.  Quintus  Claudius  sticks 
to  his  bargain  ....  besides  ....  But  who  is  the  grey- 
headed old  man  with  you  there  ?  Your  husband  or 
your  father  ?" 


202.  You  LEECHES  ARE  ALWAYS  RIGHT.    BlepyTus,  as  his  mas- 
ter's constant  companion,  would  watch  over  his  health,  if  not  as  a 
qualified  physician,  at  any  rate,  as  an  empirical  adviser.     The  house- 
hold leech  in  noble  families  was  almost  always  a  slave  or  freedman, 
and  those  who  practised  independently  were  often  in  the  same  position. 

203.  OSTIARIUS.    The  porter,  who  sat  in  a  niche  of  the  entrance- 
corridor  (osfiumj. 


120  QUINTUS  CLAUDIUS. 

"My  husband  is  young,  and  my  father  is  dead. — 
This  is  Thrax  Barbatus,  Glauce's  father." 

"  And  who  is  Glauce  ?" 

"What  — did  I  never  tell  you  about  Glauce — out 
there,  on  the  hills  by  Baiae  ?  I  must  have  forgotten  in 
the  midst  of  all  my  trouble.  Glauce  is  to  be  married  to 
our  Eurymachus  ..." 

"  Ah  !  the  heroic  sufferer,  that  Stephanus  had 
flogged?" 

"  The  very  same,  my  lord  !  And  you  promised  me 
to  remember  ..." 

"  True,  true — come  to  me  in  the  course  of  the  af- 
ternoon ..." 

"Ah!  my  lord,  but  that  will  be  too  late.  Eury- 
machus is  in  danger  of  his  life  ..." 

"  What,  again !" 

"  Oh !  be  merciful,  most  noble  Quintus !  Give  us 
only  five  minutes  audience !  You  alone  can  save 
him." 

"  Come  in,  then  !" 

He  led  the  way  through  the  atrium  into  his  private 
room. 

"  My  lord,"  the  flute-player  began  again,  "  I  will 
tell  my  story  shortly.  Eurymachus  rebelled  against  the 
Empress'  steward,  who  wanted  to  persuade  him  to  all" 
sorts  of  disgraceful  conduct.  Stephanus  flogged  him 
first,  and  then  obtained  permission  to  crucify  him  at  the 
next  festival.  This  I  heard  from  the  gate-keeper.  But 
there  was  no  festival  fixed  for  yesterday,  so  there  is  still 
some  hope,  and  we  entreat  you  ..." 

"Be  calm — for  the  present  your  friend  is  in 
safety." 

"  Impossible — he  is  lying  in  chains  . . .  " 


Qtmrrrs  CLAUDIUS.  121 

"  He  was  lying  in  chains.  His  execution  was  fixed 
for  yesterday,  but  at  the  last  moment  he  was  snatched 
from  the  jaws  of  peril." 

u  What  ?"  cried  Thrax  Barbatus,  speaking  for  the  first 
time.  "  Did  I  hear  you  rightly,  snatched  from  his  fet- 
ters !  Then  Glauce  was  able  to  carry  out  what  she  pro- 
posed." 

"  Free  ?"  said  Euterpe,  looking  up  at  Quintus  in  be- 
wilderment. 

"  As  I  tell  you." 

"  Oh,  now  I  see  it  all !"  cried  Thrax  Barbatus.  "  This 
pretended  journey  to  Ostia — what  had  your  husband  to 
do  in  Ostia  ?  And  Philippus,  my  son,  who  has  hardly 
been  in  Rome  a  week — why  should  he  want  to  accom- 
pany Diphilus  ..."  Then,  seized  with  terror,  he  sank 
on  the  ground  before  Quintus  and  threw  his  arms  round 
his  knees. 

"  Oh,  my  lord !  do  not  take  advantage  of  the  rash 
words  of  a  miserable  father !"  he  exclaimed  vehemently. 
"  Do  not  betray,  what  my  tongue  let  slip  in  my  fear  and 
anxiety." 

"  Be  easy,  old  man ! "  said  Quintus  benevolently.  "  I 
am  not  one  of  the  spies  of  the  city-guard.  Your  friend 
is  a  hero,  and  courage  always  commands  my  sym- 
pathy." 

"Thanks,  thanks !"  sobbed  the  old  man,  covering  the 
young  noble's  hands  with  kisses.  "  But  tell  me,  pray, 
how  it  all  happened ;  how  is  it  possible  that,  in  the  midst 
of  such  a  crowd  of  servants  ..." 

"All  is  possible  to  those  who  dare  all.  What  I 
heard  —  and  the  merest  accident  prevented  my  being  an 
eye  witness — aroused  as  much  astonishment  in  me,  as  in 
you.  All  the  bystanders  seemed  to  have  been  paralyzed. 


122  QUINTUS  CLAUDIUS. 

It  was  like  an  eagle  in  the  Hyrcanian  mountains,*04 
swooping  down  on  a  lamb.  One  man  particularly, 
a  stalwart,  broad-shouldered  fellow,  did  wonders  of 
valor  ..." 

Thrax  Barbatus  drew  himself  up  with  the  elasticity 
of  youth.  Happy  pride  sparkled  in  his  eyes,  and  an 
expression — a  radiance,  as  it  were,  of  beatific  affection 
illuminated  his  rugged  and  strongly-wrinkled  features. 

"That  was  Philippus,  my  son!"  he  said  with  a  trem- 
bling voice.  "  Oh !  it  was  not  for  nothing,  that  he  fought 
for  years  against  the  Dacians,  not  in  vain  that  he  endured 
frost  and  heat.  There  is  not  a  man  in  all  the  legion 
that  is  his  match  in  skill  and  strength ;  not  one  that  can 
beat  him  in  running  or  in  lance-throwing.  But  speak, 
my  lord ;  you  look  so  grave,  so  sad !  What  is  it  ?  Oh, 
for  God's  sake,  in  Christ's  name — it  is  impossible !  My 
son,  my  Philippus! — but  he  could  stand  against  twenty 
—  speak,  my  lord,  or  you  will  kill  me  ..." 

"  Poor  old  man,"  said  Quintus  much  moved,  "  what 
good  will  it  do  to  conceal  the  truth  from  you  ?  Your 
son  is  dead.  Scorning  to  fly,  he  exposed  himself  too 
long  to  his  foes.  He  died  like  a  hero." 

Thrax  Barbatus  uttered  a  soul-piercing  cry,  and  fell 
backwards  to  the  ground ;  Euterpe  flung  herself  upon 
him  and  clasped  his  head  to  her  heart,  weeping  bitterly. 

"  Thrax — dear,  good  friend,"  she  sobbed  out :  "  Con- 
trol yourself,  collect  yourself!  Show  yourself  strong  in 
this  terrible  trouble!  Consider,  you  will  have  Glauce, 
and  Eurymachus,  who  loves  you  like  a  son." 

The  old  man  slowly  pulled  himself  up ;  he  pushed 
Euterpe  violently  aside,  and  then  sinking  on  to  his  knees, 

904.  HYRCANIAN  MOUNTAINS.  Hyrcania  was  the  name  of  a 
rough  mountainous  region  near  the  Caspian  Sea. 


QUINTUS  CLAUDIUS.  123 

raised  his  hands  in  passionate  appeal  to  Heaven.  His 
lips  moved  in  prayer,  but  no  sound  was  heard.  Quintus, 
lost  in  astonishment,  stood  leaning  against  a  pillar,  while 
Euterpe  wept  silently,  her  face  buried  in  her  arm.  A 
terrible  storm  seemed  to  be  raging  in  the  old  man's  soul ; 
his  breast  rose  and  fell  like  a  wind-tossed  sea,  and  a  wild 
fire  glowed  in  his  eyes.  But  by  degrees  he  grew  calmer, 
and  his  features  assumed  an  expression  of  sorrowing  and 
silent  resignation.  It  was  as  though  a  tender  and 
beatific  ray  of  forgiveness  lighted  them  up,  "growing 
clearer  each  moment.  After  a  time  he  rose. 

"  Pardon  me,  my  lord,"  he  said  slowly.  "  I  was 
stricken  down  by  the  vastness  of  my  grief.  He  fell  like 
a  hero,  you  said  ?  And  Eurymachus  is  safe  ?" 

"  He  escaped,"  replied  Quintus,  "  which,  alas  !  is  not 
quite  the  same  thing.  Every  effort  will  be  made  to  re- 
cover possession  of  the  fugitive.  Well,  we  must  see 
what  can  be  done.  Accident  has  enlisted  me  on  your 
side,  and  I  will  play  the  part  out  to  the  end.  For  the 
present  leave  me ;  I  am  tired  out,  and  a  tired  man  is  of 
no  use  as  an  adviser;  but  this  evening,  about  the  second 
vigil,**  I  will  find  my  way. to  your  dwelling,  unaccom- 
panied." 

"  Father  in  Heaven,  I  thank  Thee !"  cried  Thrax 
Barbatus  vehemently.  "  Blessings,  oh !  blessings  on  the 
head  of  this  noble  and  generous  youth !  Farewell,  my 
lord !  Never,  never  will  I  forget  your  gracious  kindness 
to  us  helpless  wretches." 

With  these  words  he  left  the  room,  and  Euterpe  fol- 
lowed him.  Quintus  went  at  once  to  his  curtained  cu- 


205.  THE  SECOND  VIGIL.    The  Romans  divided  the  time  from 
iunrise  to  sunset  into  four  vigils  (night-watches)  of  three  hours  each. 


134  QtTTNTITS   CLAtTDTTTS. 

biculum,"4  undressed  with  the  help  of  the  faithful  Blepy- 
rus  and  soon  fell  asleep. 


CHAPTER  X. 

"REALLY,  Baucis,  you  are  very  clumsy  again  to- 
day!" cried  Lucilia,  half- vexed  and  half-saucily.  "  Do  you 
want  to  pull  that  fine,  luxuriant  hair,  that  the  greatest  poet 
might  rave  about,  all  out  by  the  roots.  I  have  shown 
you  a  hundred  times  how  the  arrow  is  to  be  put  through, 
and  you  always  towzle  my  hair  as  old  Orbilius"07  does  the 
schoolboys !" 

"  Ingratitude  for  thanks,  all  the  world  over !"  mut- 
tered the  old  slave,  casting  a  last  glance  at  Lucilia's 
curls,  her  successful  handiwork.  "  I  suppose  you  would 
like  to  stick  a  pin  into  me.**  Really,  the  young  peo- 
ple of  the  present  day  are  like  babies  or  dolls.  And  if 
the  gold  pin  slips  and  the  plaits  come  down,  then  it  is 
the  old  woman  who  is  to  blame  and  there  is  no  end  of 
the  fuss.  Ah !  you  naughty  girl,"9  how  do  you  expect  to 

ao6.  CUBICULUM.    Sleeping-room. 

207.  ORBILIUS.    The  well-known  schoolmaster,  nicknamed  by 
his  pupils  plagosus,  (delighting  in  blows)  to  whom   Horace  went. 
(Suet.  Gramm.  9.) 

208.  I     SUPPOSE    YOU     WOULD    LIKE     TO    STICK    A    PIN   INTO 

ME.  Roman  ladies  often  avenged  mistakes  committed  by  their  slaves, 
during  the  process  of  making  their  toilettes,  by  such  abuse.  Nay,  it 
sometimes  happened  that  a  slave  thus  stabbed  was  killed.  See  Mart. 
P.p.  II.  66.  where  Lalage  knocks  down  the  female  slave  Plecusa  on 
account  of  a  single  curl  escaping  from  her  hair. 

aoo.  AH  !  YOU  NAUGHTY  GIRL.  With  the  sovereign  contempt, 
with  which  so  many  Romans  treated  their  slaves,  this  tone,  addressed 
to  the  daughter  of  the  house,  might  seem  strange,  but  even  under  the 
emperors  the  relation  between  masters  and  slaves  was  in  many  re- 
ipe<ti  a  patriarchial  ooe.  The  older  slaves,  especially,  were  permitttd 


QUINTUS   CLAUDIUS.  125 

get  on  when  you  are  married,  you  impatient  little  thing ! 
Many  a  time  will  you  have  to  sigh,  when  your  husband  is 
out  of  temper!  Many  a  time  will  you  say  to  yourself: 
'  Ah !  if  only  I  had  learned  a  little  patience  when  I  was 
younger ! ' " 

"  You  are  greatly  mistaken,"  said  Lucilia  in  a  de- 
clamatory tone.  "  The  days  are  over,  when  the  husband 
was  master  over  everything  in  the  house.  What  woman 
now-a-days  will  submit  to  a  wedding  with  offerings  of 
corn  ?*°  We  have  grown  wiser,  and  know  what  such  of- 

many  familiarities  in  their  intercourse  with  the  children  of  the  family, 
who  often  called  them  "little  father,"  "  little  mother,"  allowed  them 
to  reprove  them,  and  according  to  their  personality,  frequently 
permitted  them  to  exercise  no  little  authority.  A  beautiful  example 
of  cordial  relations  existing  between  the  master,  and  his  slaves  and 
freedmen,  is  shown  us  in  a  Tetter  from  the  younger  Pliny  to  Paullinus 
(Ep.  V.  19)  where  he  says:  "  I  see  how  mildly  you  treat  your  people, 
and  therefore  acknowledge  the  more  frankly  how  indulgent  I  am  to 
mine;  I  always  remember  the  words  of  Homer: 

"  '  And  was  kind  as  a  father  .  .  . ' 

and  our  own  'father  of  a  family"  (pater  familias).  But  even  were  I 
harsher  and  sterner  by  nature,  I  should  be  moved  by  the  illness  of 
my  freedman  Zosimus,  to  whom  I  must  show  the  greater  kindness, 
now  that  he  needs  it  more.  .  .  .  My  long-standing  affection  for  him, 
which  is  only  increased  by  anxiety,  affords  a  guarantee  for  that. 
Sorely  it  is  natural,  that  nothing  so  fans  and  increases  love  as  the 
fear  of  loss,  which  I  have  already  endured  more  than  once  on  his 
account.  Some  years  ago,  after  reciting  a  long  time  with  much 
effort,  he  raised  blood;  so  I  sent  him  to  Egypt,  from  whence  he 
returned  a  short  time  since  greatly  strengthened  by  the  long  journey. 
But  on  straining  his  voice  too  much  for  several  days,  a  slight  cough 
served  to  remind  us  of  the  old  difficulty,  and  he  again  raised  blood. 
Therefore  I  intend  to  send  him  to  your  estate  at  Forojulium,  having 
often  heard  you  say  that  the  air  there  was  healthful,  and  the  milk 
very  beneficial  in  such  diseases." 

210.  WEDDING  WITH  OFFERINGS  OF  CORN.  The  oldest  form  of 
the  marriage  ceremony  was  the  Confarreatio,  so-called  from  the  offer- 
ings of  grain  (far).  By  this  form  the  wife  entirely  lost  her  indepen- 
dence. Her  property  passed  into  her  husband's  possession,  and  she 
could  neither  acquire  anything  for  herself,  nor  transact  any  legal  busi- 
ness. The  desire  for  emancipation,  here  jestingly  uttered  by  Lucilia, 
was  in  reality  very  widely  diffused  throughout  Rome  at  the  time  of  our 
story,  and  the  form  of  the  Confarreatio  was  therefore  constantly  becoov 
ing  rarer. 


126  QUINTUS   CLAUDIUS. 

ferings  are  meant  to  symbolize — we  are  to  surrender  our 
liberty  to  the  very  last  grain  1  So  I  should  think !  If 
ever  I  marry ....  But  what  are  you  about  ?  Will  you 
ever  have  done  fidgetting  with  that  tiresome  necklace  ? 
Do  look,  Claudia,  how  she  is  tormenting  me  1" 

Claudia  was  sitting  in  holiday  attire  in  front  of  a 
handsome  citrus- wood'"  table,  holding  in  her  hands  the 
ivory  roller  of  an  elegantly-written  book.  When  Lucilia 
spoke  to  her  she  absently  raised  her  soft,  fawn-like  eyes, 
laid  the  roll  aside  and  stood  up. 

"  You  look  like  Melpomene,"  cried  Lucilia  enthu- 
siastically, while  Baucis  draped  her  stola™  "  If  I  were 
Aurelius,  I  should  have  my  head  turned  by  the  sight  of 
you.  How  well  the  folds  of  your  dress  fall,  and  how 
admirably  the  border  lies  on  the  ground,  oh!  and 
your  hair!  Do  you  know  I  am  quite  in  love  my- 
self with  that  hair ;  it  goes  so  beautifully  with  the  soft 
brown  of  your  eyes.  That  dark  fair  hair,  with  a  kind  of 
dim  lustre,  is  too  lovely;  my  stupid,  every-day  brown 
looks  no  better  by  the  side  of  it  than  a  cabbage  next  a  • 
rose.  Of  course,  too,  Baucis  takes  three  times  as  much 
pains  with  you  as  with  me.  Tell  me  yourself,  is  not  this 
arrow  all  askew  again  ?" 


211.  CITRUS-WOOD.      The  citrus  (tufa  evfressoidcs)  a  beautiful 
tree  growing  on    the  sides  of  the  Atlas,  furnished   costly  tops   for 
tables,  for  which  the  most  extravagant  prices  were  paid,  as  the  trunks 
rarely  attained  the  requisite  degree  of  thickness.     Pliny  (Hist.  Nat. 
XIII,  xO  mentions  slabs  almost  four  feet  in  diameter,  and  six  inches 
thick.  Cicero  gave  a  million  sesterces  for  a  citrus-wood  table.    Seneca 
is  said  to  have  owned  five  hundred  of  them.     The  slab  rested  on  a 
single  base  of  skilfully-carved  ivory,  from  which  they  received  the  name 
of  monopodia  (a  single  foot). 

212.  STOLA.      The  over-garment  worn  by   women  (stola)  was 
trimmed   around    the    bottom    with    a    border  (mstita)    that  often 
lengthened  into  a  train. 


QUINTUS   CLAUDIUS.  127 

So  speaking  she  took  a  polished  metal  mirror"3  from 
the  table,  and  studied  her  coiffure  first  from  the  right  and 
then  from  the  left,  while  one  of  the  young  slave-girls, 
who  stood  round  Baucis,  came  to  her  assistance  with  a 
second  mirror. 

"  It  is  quite  horrid !"  she  said  crossly.  "  In  short 
every  single  thing  is  wanting  in  me  to-day,  that  could 
please  the  fancy  of  any  human  being.  Never  was  my 
fatal  snub-nose  so  short  and  broad,  never  was  my  mouth 
so  wide  and  vulgar.  And  listen,  Claudia,  in  spite  of  all 
its  beauty,  I  can  do  without  going  to  Baiae  for  the  future. 
I  gained  twenty  pounds  in  weight  there,  and  brought 
home  three  dozen  freckles.  It  is  a  lucky  thing,  that  I 
have  a  philosophic  soul !  If  I  were  in  love  now  with 
some  son  of  the  gods,  by  Socrates'  cup  of  hemlock  I 
should  be  desperate  with  rage !" 

"  You  are  only  fishing  for  praise,"  said  Claudia,  strok- 
ing her  sister's  cheek.  "  But  you  know  I  am  but  ill- 
skilled  in  the  art  of  paying  compliments." 

"  Silly  girl !"  said  Lucilia.  "  As  if  praise  could  mend 
an  evil.  Do  you  suppose  I  want  to  do  as  the  young  law 
students  do,  who  hire  flatterers  to  praise  them  ?a14  Nay, 
no  bribery  is  possible,  when  we  stand  before  the  Centum- 
virate"5  who  judge  of  beauty. — And,  my  good  Baucis, 
what  are  you  staring  at  now,  like  a  country  cousin  at  a 
circus.  Make  haste  and  get  dressed,  you  old  sinner,  or 
Cinna's  cook  will  have  burnt  the  pasty." 

213.  METAL  MIRROR.    At  the  time  of  our  story  mirrors  made  of 
a  mixture  of  gold,  silver  and  copper  were  preferred. 

214.  WHO  HIRE   FLATTERERS   TO    PRAISE   THEM.     See  Oltitttil- 

lian.  XI,  3,  131;  Juv.  Sat.  XIII,  29-31,  Plin.  Ep.  II,  14,  4. 

215.  THE  CENTUMVIRATE.   A  body  of  judges  whose  function  it 
was  to  decide  in  civil  cases,  more  particularly  in  suits  concerning 
inheritance.    The  Decemvirate  presided  over  them. 


128  QU1NTUS   CLAUDIUS. 

"  I  shall  be  ready  in  an  instant,"  replied  Baucis.  "  At 
my  time  of  life  dressing  need  not  take  long.  Who  looks 
at  the  hawthorn,  I  wonder,  when  roses  are  in  bloom  ?" 
and  she  hurried  away. 

Lucilia  and  Claudia  went  out  into  the  colonnade 
svhere,  arm  in  arm,  they  slowly  paced  the  gleaming 
marble  pavement.  As  they  turned  the  farther  corner  of 
the  quadrangle,  they  saw  their  mother  coming  towards 
them  at  a  leisurely  pace. 

"  Quintus  is  ready  and  waiting,"  she  said  pleasantly. 

"  And  you,  dear  mother  ?"  asked  Lucilia.  "  Do  you 
really  mean  to  stay  at  home  ?" 

"  It  is  such  a  pity,"  added  Claudia.  "  We  are  ac- 
customed, alas !  to  my  father's  never  accompanying  us 
to  see  Cornelia,  but  you — what  need  you  care  about  the 
•debates  in  the  senate  ?  Besides,  Cornelius  Cinna  is  re- 
lated to  your  family.  Your  views  as  to  what  contributes 
to  the  prosperity  of  the  Roman  people  differ  no 
doubt  ..." 

"  In  Jupiter's  name,  child !"  cried  Octavia  horrified. 
"  Claudia,  what  are  you  saying  ?  If  your  father  were 
to  hear  you  ..." 

"  But,  my  dear  mother,"  answered  the  girl,  "  I  am 
only  speaking  the  truth.  There  are  many  very  estimable 
men  ..." 

"  Be  silent — when  and  where  did  you  pick  up  such 
notions  ?  Attend  to  your  music  and  your  poets,  give 
your  mind  to  the  flowers  you  twist  into  your  hair,  but 
never  meddle  with  the  mysteries  of  state-craft." 

The  young  girl  looked  down  in  some  confusion. 

"  Do  not  pay  any  heed  to  it,  mother  dear !"  said 
Lucilia.  "  She  chatters  without  thinking.  But,  once 
more — do  come  with  us.  Cornelius  Cinna  will  very 


QUINTUS   CLAUDIUS.  1 29 

likely  not  be  visible ;  you  know  how  strangely  the  old 
man  behaves.  Come,  mother — and  remember,  dear  little 
mother,  it  is  Cornelia's  birthday.  She  will  certainly  feel 
hurt,  if  the  mother  of  her  future  husband  lets  the  day 
pass  without  going  to  embrace  her." 

"  It  is  of  no  use ;  your  father's  wishes  have  always 
been  my  law.  Believe  me,  my  sweet  child,  the  utmost 
I  can  do  is  to  allow  you  to  visit  at  that  house " 

"  Come,  that  would  be  too  bad,  mother !  I  really  be- 
lieve, that  if  he  had  not  formally  released  Quintus  from 
his  filial  bondage,  he  would  have  been  capable  of  forbid- 
ding the  marriage." 

"  It  is  quite  possible,"  replied  Octavia.  "  That  noble 
soul  places  the  commonwealth  above  every  other  con- 
sideration. You  can  hardly  imagine,  how  unswervingly 
he  goes  on  the  road  he  believes  to  be  the  right  one." 

"  Oh  yes !  I  know  his  resolute  nature,"  said  Claudia, 
*  and  I  honor  and  admire  it.  Say  no  more,  Lucilia ; 
mother  is  right.  A  man  must  never  yield  even  a  hand- 
breadth,  and  silent  obedience  is  a  wife's  first  duty." 

"  You  are  my  dear  good  child,"  said  Octavia 
much  touched.  "  And  believe  me  when  I  say,  that  the 
fulfilment  of  this  duty,  hard  as  it  seems,  is  a  heartfelt  joy 
when  such  a  man  as  your  father  is  the  husband.  He  is 
strict  and  firm,  but  not  a  tyrant ;  he  is  always  ready  to 
listen  to  reason,  and  to  take  council  with  the  chosen  com- 
panion of  his  life.  Nay,  he  is  not  above  learning  from 
the  humblest.  On  one  point  only  he  stands  like  a  rock 
against  which  the  surf  beats  in  vain,  and  that  point  is 
Duty." 

"  Here  comes  Baucis !"  cried  Lucilia  with  a  laugh  of 
saucy  amusement.  "  Hail,  oh  fairest  of  brides,  clad  in 
the  garb  of  rejoicing !  Baucis  in  sky-blue !  If  this  does 

Voi.  /.  f 


130  QUINTUS  CLAUDIUS. 

not  procure  her  a  Philemon,  I  must  despair  of  the  fate 
of  humanity." 

"  You  hear,  mistress,  how  shamefully  she  mocks  your 
waiting-woman,"  said  Baucis  in  lamentable  tones.  "  I 
can  never  do  anything  right.  If  I  wear  grey,  she  hints 
at  an  ass;  if  I  put  on  a  handsome  dress,  she  laughs  at  me 
to  my  face.  However,  what  I  had  to  say  is,  that  the 
litters  are  at  the  door  and  the  young  master  has  asked 
three  times  if  his  sisters  were  coming." 

"  We  are  quite  ready,"  said  Claudia. 

A  dense  crowd  had  gathered  outside  the  vestibule. 
Quintus,  with  only  three  of  his  slaves,  was  waiting  im- 
patiently in  the  entrance.  The  twelve  litter-bearers  in 
their  red  livery  stood  by  the  poles,  and  eight  negroes — 
the  van  and  rear-guard  of  the  procession — were  staring 
vacantly  into  the  air.  A  number  of  idlers  had  collected 
round  these — the  inquisitive  gapers  who  always  swarmed 
wherever  there  was  anything  to  be  seen,  however  trivial. 
These  were  the  class  who,  not  choosing  to  work,  lived 
on  the  corn  given  away  by  the  state ;  "6  the  uproarious 
mob  who  filled  the  upper  rows  of  seats  in  the  theatres 
and  circus ;  the  populace  whose  suffrages  no  Caesar  was 
too  proud  to  court,  since  it  was  among  these  that  arbi- 
trary despotism  had  its  most  staunch  adherents,  in  the 
struggle  against  the  last  remnants  of  a  free  and  freedom- 
loving  aristocracy. 

"  Oh!  how  handsome  she  is!"  ran  from  mouth  to 
mouth  among  the  loiterers,  as  Claudia  stepped  into  the 
foremost  litter ;  Lucilia  took  her  place  by  her  adopted 


2l6.  LIVED  ON  THE  CORN  GIVEN  AWAY  BY  THE  STATE.  The 
number  of  Roman  paupers,  who  lived  almost  exclusively  by  this 
means,  far  surpassed  those  who  need  support  in  civilized  countries  at 
the  present  time. 


QUINTUS   CLAUDIUS.  131 

sister's  side.  The  second  litter  was  to  carry  Baucis  and 
a  young  slave  girl. 

"  Make  way  !"  cried  the  principal  runner,  stepping 
among  the  crowd,  who  fell  back,  and  the  procession  set 
out.  Quintus  followed  on  foot  at  a  short  distance. 

Their  way  led  them  through  the  Forum  and  past  the 
venerable  temple  of  Saturn,  where  the  Roman  state- 
treasure  was  kept.  To  the  right  on  the  Palatine,  spread 
the  enormous  palaces  of  the  Caesars,  and  among  them 
the  capitol  and  the  splendid  but  scarcely-finished  resi- 
dence of  Domitian.  Proceeding  but  slowly,  they  reached 
the  Arch  of  Titus*17  and  then,  leaving  the  fountain  of  the 
Meta  Sudans*18  and  the  vast  Flavian  amphitheatre*19  to 
the  right,  they  turned  into  the  street  leading  to  the  Caeli- 
montana  Gate.*30  The  throng  of  humanity,  which  in  the 
neighborhood  of  the  Forum  defied  all  description,  here 
became  somewhat  thinner ;  and  the  litter-bearers  mended 
their  pace.  In  about  ten  minutes  they  stopped  at  a 
house,  which  in  point  of  magnificence  was  hardly  inferior 
to  that  of  the  Flamen  Titus  Claudius  Mucianus.  In  the 

217.  THE  ARCH  OF  TITUS.  The  triumphal  arch  of  Titus,  at  the 
southeastern  corner  of  the  Forum  Romanum,  designed  for  the  com- 
memoration of  the  victory  over  the  Jews,  A.  D.  8x,  is  still  standing  at 
the  present  day.  It  bears  the  inscription:  "  Sfnatus populusque  Ro- 
manus  divo  Tito  divi  Vespasian i  filio  Vcspasiano  Augusto"  Some  of 
its  bas-reliefs  are  admirably  preserved. 

ai8.  META  SUDANS.  One  of  the  Metae  (the  obelisks  at  the 
upper  and  lower  ends  of  the  circus)  resembling  a  fountain,  not  far  from 
the  Flavian  amphitheatre.  Part  of  the  sub-structure  still  remains. 

219.  THE  FLAVIAN  AMPHITHEATRE,  now  the  Coliseum.    This 
edifice,  commenced  by  the  emperor  Vespasian  at  the  close  of  the 
Jewish  war,  finished  under  Titus,  and  dedicated  A.  D.  80,  contained 
seats  for  87,000  spectators,  and  room  for  20,000  more  in  the  open 
gallery.     Even  at  the  present  time,  no  similar  structure  in  the  world 
has  equalled,  far  less  surpassed  it  in  extent  and  magnificence. 

220.  CAELIMONTANA  GATE.     (Porta  Catlimontana)  near  the  La- 
teran.    The  street  here  entered  by  Claudia  and  Lucilia  still  exists; 
it  now  bears  the  name  of  Via  di  San  Giovanni  in  Laterano. 


132  QUINTUS  CLAUDIUS. 

vestibule,  beside  the  door-keeper,  there  stood  a  stout  lit- 
tle woman,  who  hailed  the  visitors  from  afar  with  a  broad 
grin,  and  was  most  eager  to  be  of  use  to  the  young 
ladies  as  they  alighted.  This  little  woman  was  Chloe, 
Cornelia's  maid;  her  mistress  now  appeared  on  the 
scene,  a  tall  and  finely-made  young  girl,  with  hair  as 
black  as  night,  dressed  entirely  in  white  and  wearing  no 
ornament  but  a  string  of  large,  softly-gleaming  pearls. 
The  girls  embraced  each  other  warmly. 

Quintus  had  by  this  time  joined  them ;  with  a  tender 
light  in  his  eyes  he  went  straight  up  to  his  betrothed  and 
kissed  her  gravely  on  the  forehead.  "  All  health,  happi- 
ness and  blessing  on  you,  on  your  birthday,*1  my  sweet 
Cornelia !"  he  said  affectionately ;  then  taking  her  hand 
he  led  her  into  the  atrium.  This  was  festally  decorated 
with  flowers;  in  the  middle  stood  a  hearth *"  after  the  old 
fashion,  but  there  were  no  images  of  the  Lares  and 
Penates.  Cornelius  Cinna  held  the  opinions  and  views 
of  the  world  at  large,  which  had  been  taught  by  Lucre- 
tius ^  and  Pliny  the  Elder;2*4  he  thought  it  folly  to  en- 


221.  THE  BIRTHDAY  (dies  notaKs,  sacra  natalicia)  was  celebrated 
in  ancient  times.        m  '' 

222.  IN  THE  MIDDLE   STOOD  A  HEARTH.      The  real  hearth, 
originally  in  the  atrium,  had  long  since  vanished  from  the  atria  of  the 
wealthy  and  aristocratic.    Here  a  festal  hearth  erected  for  the  occasion 
is  meant. 

223.  LUCRETIUS.    Titus  Lucretius  Carus,  who  was  born  in  the 
year  98,  and  died  in  55  B.  C.,  composed  a  philosophical  didactic  poem 
"on  the  nature  of  things."     (De  Rerum  Natura.)     The  view  of  the 
world  taken  in  it  is  a  thoroughly  material  one.     The  poet  constructs 
the  universe  out  of  an  infinite  multitude  of  atoms,  which  exist  singly 
and  imperishably  in  infinite  space. 

224.  PLINY  THE  ELDER.    Caius  Plinius  Secundus,  called  to  dis- 
tinguish him  from  his  nephew,  so  often  quoted  here,  the  elder  (major) 
a  warrior,  statesman,  and  famous  naturalist,  was  born  at  Novum 
Comum,  A.  D.  23.     He  met  his  death,  a  victim  to  his  thirst  for  scien- 
tific knowledge,  at  the  great  eruption  of  Vesuvius,  A.  D.  79.    (See  the 


QUINTUS    CLAUDIUS.  133 

quire  curiously  as  to  the  form  and  aspect  of  the  Divinity, 
or  even  of  any  particular  god  or  goddess ;  since,  if  there 
be  indeed  a  Power  beyond  and  behind  Nature,  that 
Power  must  be  Force  and  Wisdom  pure  and  simple. 
Hence  he  contemned  all  the  ordinary  household 
gods. 

Eight  or  ten  guests  were  already  assembled  in  the 
atrium,  among  them  Caius  Aurelius  and  his  faithful 
follower  Herodianus. 

The  young  Batavian  did  not  at  first  seem  to  observe 
the  new  arrivals.  He  was  standing  in  grave  conversa- 
tion with  the  master  of  the  house,  whose  gloomy  and 
almost  sinister  countenance  by  no  means  harmonized 
with  the  gay  decorations  of  the  hearth  and  the  Corin- 
thian columns. 

"  I  thank  you,"  said  Cinna  offering  the  young  man 
his  hand.  "  Your  words  have  done  me  good.  But  now, 
ask  no  farther  .  .  .  .  " 

"  As  you  desire  .  .  .  .  " 

"  One  thing  more,  my  dear  Caius — Quintus  Claudius 
too  must  know  how  strongly  I  feel  on  this  point.  After 
dinner  bring  him,  as  if  by  chance,  into  my  study .  .  .  ." 

"  Trust  to  me." 

"  Very  good ;  and  now  for  a  few  hours  I  will  try  to 
banish  these  memories  from  my  soul.  As  you  see  me, 
Caius,  you  may  think  it  a  miracle  that  I  am  not  choked 
by  the  insult !  And  not  a  soul  that  could  sympathize 


famous  description  in  his  nephew's  letter  to  Tacitus,  Plin.  Ep.  VI,  16.) 
Of  his  numerous  works,  nothing  has  come  down  to  us  except  the 
Historic  Naturalis,  a  vast  encyclopedia,  the  material  for  which  was 
obtained  from  more  than  2,000  volumes.  He  was  an  absolute  denier 
of  the  gods,  nay,  of  transcendentalism  altogether.  The  opinions  attrib- 
uted to  Cinna  are  in  part  literally  copied  from  the  Historia  Natu- 
raits. 


134  QUINTUS  CLAUDIUS. 

with  me!  Nerva,  my  old  friend,  was  absent.  Even 
Trajan  was  so  far  off  as  Antium"5.  .  .  ." 

"  And  Cains  Atirelius  was  too  young  and  too  much 
a  stranger  ?"  said  the  Batavian  laughing. 

"  Yes,  I  must  confess  that  it  was  so.  From  the  first, 
it  is  true,  I  saw  you  to  be  an  admirable  youth,  and  I 
thank  my  friend  at  Gades,  who  sent  you  with  letters  of 
introduction  to  me;  but  I  could  not  guess  how  early 
ripe  and  truly  noble  your  whole  nature  was,  how  fervent 
your  patriotism  and  how  unconquerable  your  pride. — 
But  in  all  truth,  Aurelius,  from  this  day  forth — here  comes 
Quintus  and  his  sisters ;  we  part  for  the  present,  but  do 
not  forget !" 

His  face,  which  had  brightened  somewhat  as  he 
spoke,  fell  again  to  the  expression  of  grave,  almost  sinister 
determination,  which  characterized  his  strongly-marked 
features.  He  crossed  the  atrium  to  the  entrance  where 
the  young  people,  surrounded  by  their  guests,  were 
chatting  gaily.  Cinna  pressed  the  hand  of  his  niece's 
lover — kindly,  but  yet  with  a  certain  reserve — and  ad- 
dressed a  few  half-jesting  words  to  the  girls ;  but  when 
Claudia  attempted  to  offer  such  apology  as  best  she 
might  for  her  mother's  absence,  he  turned  away  as  if  he 
did  not  hear. 

At  this  moment  the  noble  figure  of  an  old  man  ap- 
peared in  the  doorway;  with  a  gleaming  white  toga 
over  his  shoulders  and  flowing  snowy  locks,  his  towering 
height  gave  him  a  majestic  presence. 

"  Cocceius  Nerva,"  whispered  the  Batavian  to  Hero- 
dianus,  who  came  up  to  him  to  ask. 

"  By  Castor !"  said  the  freedman,  "  but  if  I  had  met 

225.  ANTIUM.  The  modern  Porto  d'Anzio,  an  ancient  city  south 
of  Rome.  Many  Roman  aristocrats  owned  country-seats  there. 


QUINTUS   CLAUDIUS.  135 

this  man  on  arriving  here,  I  should  have  said  that  he  and 
no  other  must  be  the  ruler  of  the  world." 

"  Remember,  we  are  in  Rome,  and  you  will  do  well 
to  keep  such  ideas  to  yourself." 

Cornelius  Cinna  led  the  illustrious  senator  to  a  hand- 
some marble  seat  covered  with  carpets,  and  a  circle  of 
reverent  friends  formed  round  him  at  once. 

"By  all  the  gods,"  muttered  Herodianus,  "may 
I  perish  if  that  marble  seat  does  not  look  for  all 
the  world  like  a  throne ;  and  they  stand  round  him  like 
the  guard  round  Caesar. — And  now,  as  he  raises  his 
right  hand !  If  he  were  but  thirty  years  younger,  he 
would  be  like  that  image  of  Zeus  we  bought  a  while 
since  in  Gades ;  he  only  lacks  the  thunderbolt." 

"  Silence !"  repeated  Aurelius  angrily.  "  You  have 
had  no  wine  yet  to-day — what  will  you  not  say  when 
you  have  played  your  part  at  dinner,  if  you  are  as  thirsty 
as  usual  ?" 

"I  will  not  say  another  word,"  replied  the  freed- 
man. 

Claudia,  who  till  this  instant  had  been  talking  eagerly 
with  Ulpius  Trajanus,  a  Hispanian  friend  of  Cinna's,  of 
Cocceius  Nerva's — too  eagerly,  Aurelius  thought — now 
went  off  with  Cornelia  under  the  colonnade  to  see  the 
birthday  gifts  which,  in  accordance  with  an  old  Roman 
custom,  had  been  sent  to  Cornelia  early  in  the  day. 
They  were  tastefully  laid  out  in  the  arcade  on  brazen 
tables;  gold  brooches  and  necklaces  among  exquisite 
flowers;  tissues  mixed  with  silk;"6  handsome  books  with 
purple  edges,  rolled  on  cylinders  of  amber  and  ebony ; 
little  slippers  worked  with  pearls ;  beaten  silver  vessels 

226.  TISSUES  MIXED  WITH  SILK.  Fabrics  made  entirely  of  silk 
were  rare  in  Rome. 


136  QUINTUS   CLAUDIUS. 

from  the  hand  of  Mentor,"7  the  esteemed  silversmith ; 
Arabian  and  Indian  perfumes  from  the  stores  of 
Niceros,**  the  famous  druggist;  ribbons  and  trimmings 
of  amethyst-purple ;"»  stuffed  birds,  fruits  from  Asia 
Minor,  and  a  hundred  other  costly  trifles  from  every 
quarter  of  the  world  made  up  the  tribute  sent  to  this 
spoilt  daughter  of  a  senatorial  house. 

Aurelius  took  advantage  of  the  opportunity,  and 
went  to  join  the  young  girls.  Claudia  affected  great 
surprise  at  seeing  him,  but  immediately  after  gave  the 
young  man  her  hand  with  frank  warmth,  as  though 
ashamed  in  truth  of  any  disingenuous  coquetry  towards 
such  a  man  as  Aurelius.  Still,  the  conversation  they 
began  was  not  particularly  lively ;  they  stood  in  front  ot 
the  tables  and  made  the  usual  remarks  —  this  present 
was  charming,  that  offering  was  splendid.  Cornelia 
declared,  that  prettiest  of  all  were  the  exquisite  roses  "• 


227.  MENTOR  was  a  famous  sculptor,  especially  celebrated  for 
his  cups  and  goblets  in  metal  (repousse).     Pliny.  Hist.  Nat.  VII,  38, 
and  XIII,  ix,  12,  also  Martial,  Ep.  Ill,  41: 

The  lizard  wrought  by  Mentor's  hand  so  rare, 
Was  fear'd  i'  the  cup,  as  though  it  living  were. 

WRIGHT. 

that  is,  the  silver  lizard,  wrought  on  the  cup,  is  so  true  to  life,  that 
people  might  fear  it.  See  Mart,  Ep.  IV,  39,  IX,  59  (cups  that  Men- 
tor's hand  ennobled),  etc. 

228.  NICEROS.     See  Mart.  Ep.  VI,  55  ("because  you  smelt  Nice- 
ros's  leaden  vials.  .  .")     Mart.  Ep.  X,  38.  ("  the  lamps  that  exhaled 
Niceros's  sweet  perfumes.  .  .  ")  and  Mart.  Ep.  XII,  65,  ("a  pound 
of  ointment  from  Cosmus  or  Niceros.") 

229.  RIBBONS  AND  TRIMMINGS  OF  AMETHYST-PURPLE.     Gar- 
ments of  amethystine-purple,  woollen  material  (amethvstina,  or  vestes 
amethystinae}  were  among  the  most  magnificent  and  costly  clothes. 
See  Mart.  Ep.  I,  97,  7.  and  Juv.  Sat.  VII,  136.     The  color  was  so- 
called  because  it  glittered  in  the  amethyst,  a  violet-blue  gem. 

230.  EXQUISITE   ROSES.      Roses  and  violets  were  the  favorite 
flowers  of  the  ancients.     The  use  of  these  blossoms  was  enormous. 
For  the  rose-culture  in  Rome,  M.-C  Varro,  R.  Rusi,  I,  16,  3. 


QUINTUS    CLAUDIUS.  137 

that  Quintus  had  given  her — and  Claudia  sighed,  very 
softly,  still  she  sighed. 

At  this  moment  a  grinning  head  appeared  in  the 
frame  of  a  door  close  by.  This  was  Chloe,  Cornelia's 
maid. 

"  I  beg  your  pardon,"  she  said  with  comical  impor- 
tance. "  But  if  I  disturb  you,  it  is  from  sheer  necessity. 
The  steward  of  the  tables331  cannot  arrange  the  places 
for  the  company." 

"  Indeed,  how  is  that  ?"  asked  Cornelia  severely. 
"  Did  I  not  give  him  full  and  exact  instructions  ?  He 
seems  to  have  a  short  memory." 

"  Excuse  us,  dear  mistress — but  he  had  not  counted 
on  Cocceius  Nerva.  Come  and  help  us,  pray." 

Cornelia  frowned,  but  did  as  she  was  requested ;  her 
pallid  face  colored  scarlet;  such  a  question  seemed  to 
her  vulgar  and  trivial,  and  she  felt  that  shock  to  her  taste 
which  jars  on  a  superior  nature,  when  the  details  of  daily 
life  intrude  on  a  moment  of  exalted  feeling.  Those 
roses  from  Paestum,33*  that  thought  of  Quintus !  what  a 
delicious  flood  of  happy  feeling  they  symbolized  !  And 
Chloe's  appearance,  in  the  very  midst  of  this  beauty  and 
happiness,  wounded  her  like  the  empty  farcicality  of  an 
Atellanian  buffoon.233 

231.  THE  STEWARD  OF  THE  TABLES      The  chief  slave  in  the 
dining-room,  the  butler,  was  called   Tricliniarcha.     (Petr.  XXII,  6, 
Inscr.  Orell.  No.  794.) 

232.  PAESTUM  (nalorov)  in  the  most  ancient  times  Posidonia,  a 
city  on  the  western  coast  of  Lucania,  south  of  the  mouth  of  the  Silarus, 
(now  Sele)  was  famous  for  its  magnificent  roses. 

233.  ATELLANIAN  BUFFOON.    Atellanae  (Atellanacfabulae,  Ivdi 
Atellani)  was  the  name  given  to  a  species  of  dramatic  performance, 
somewhat  coarsely  comical  in  character.     The  material  for  these  plays 
was  taken  from  the  lives  of  the  humble  citizens  and  country  people.  The 
language  used  was  that  of  every-day  life,  and  they  were  often  written 
in  the  Oscau  dialect.      The  name  comes  from  the  Campanian  city 


138  QUIKTUS   CLAUDIUS. 

Aurelius  and  Claudia  were  left  to  gaze  at  the  display 
of  birthday  gifts  with  redoubled  attention ;  you  might 
have  fancied  they  had  never  before  seen  such  things  as 
flowers  or  bracelets. 

"  How  delicious !"  said  Claudia  breathing  the  per- 
fume of  a  splendid  rose-bush. 

"  Delicious!"  echoed  Aurelius,  putting  his  face  close 
to  the  flowers.  "  And  look  at  this  strange  bird !  How 
naturally  it  sits  with  its  wings  spread  out — exactly  as  if 
it  were  alive." 

"  It  is  a  parrot  from  the  banks  of  the  Indus." 

"Or  a  phoenix ** " 

"  A  phoenix  ?  I  thought  that  story  of  Tacitus'  was  a 
mere  fable." 

"  Nay,  not  altogether.  The  marvellous  bird,  which 
burns  its  father  or  itself  and  then  rises  from  its  ashes  in 
renewed  youth,  is  no  doubt  a  myth.  But  does  not  Pliny 
tell  us  of  a  real  phoenix,  which  builds  its  nest  at  the 
sources  of  the  Nile  and  shines  like  pure  gold  ?" 

"  What,  seriously  ?"  and  she  gently  stroked  the  neck 
of  the  stuffed  bird  with  her  finger. 

"  How  soft  it  feels !"  she  said. 

"  Like  crape  from  Cos,"  **  said  Aurelius,  doing  the 
same.  His  hand  touched  hers,  and  Claudia  colored. 
She  hastily  stooped  over  a  book  lying  close  by — the 

Atella,  where  this  style  of  play  first  originated.  Certain  fundamental 
characteristics  of  the  Atellanae  representations  are  still  visible  in 
Italian  popular  farces. 

234.  PHOENIX.     See  Tac.  Ann.  VI,  28,  Plin.  Hist.  Nat.  X.  2, 
Ov.  Met.  XV,  392. 

235.  LIKE  CRAPE  FROM  Cos.    Corduba,  now  Cordova,  on  the 
Baetis,  now  the  Guadalquivir,  was  one  of  the  most  important  com- 
mercial cities  in  Spain,  the  principal  place  in  Hispania  Baetica,  the 
seat  of  the  imperial  governor.     SeeStrabo  III,  141.    Materials  woven 
from  Spanish  flax  (carbasus)  were  considered  specially  delicate  for 
clothing. 


QU1NTUS   CLAUDIUS.  139 

"Thebais"  of  Statius — and  read  the  title,  written  in  gold 
on  the  outside  of  the  roll. 

"  A  capital  work,"  said  the  Batavian, "  I  read  it  some 
time  since  in  Trajectum." 

"  And  to  me,  a  Roman,  it  remains  unknown." 

"  If  you  only  desire  it,  I  will  go  to-morrow  morning 
to  the  bookseller  in  the  Argiletum  and  bring  you  the  best 
copy  I  can  find." 

"  Oh !   you  are  too  kind !"  replied  Claudia. 

Then  there  was  a  pause,  while  Aurelius  examined 
with  the  greatest  interest  the  quality  of  some  flaxen  cloth 
from  Cordova.  At  last  he  began  hesitatingly : 

"  If  you  will  not  think  it  too  bold,  allow  me  to  pro- 
pose .  .  .  .  " 

"  Speak  on,"  said  Claudia,  again  bending  over  the 
"  Thebais." 

"  I  should  be  only  too  happy,  if  I  might  be  allowed 
to  read  -this  masterpiece  of  Statius  aloud  to  you.  With- 
out  wishing  to  boast,  I  have  had  a  good  deal  of  practice 
in  reading  and  declamation,  and, — as  you  know,  epic  ** 
poetry  was  originally  intended  for  recitation." 

"  Of  course ;  it  is  for  that  very  reason  called  epic.  I 
may  own  too,  that  there  is  nothing  I  like  better  than  to 
hear  good  reading.  Quintus  reads  very  well,  but  he 
rarely  has  time  or  is  in  the  humor." 

"  You  will  allow  me  then  ?" 

"  I  beg  you  to  be  so  good." 

"  And  when  ?" 

"  That  we  will  settle  presently ;  just  now,  I  see,  they 
are  going  to  table." 

"  Where  have  you  hidden  yourselves  ?"  cried  Lucilia 

236.  EPIC  from  Epos  (ewo*)—  word,  speech,  tale.  Afterwards  the 
Greeks  distinguished  epic  poetry  from  lyric  by  the  imj. 


140  QUINTUS   CLAUDIUS. 

flying  into  the  hall  as  lightly  as  a  deer.  "  I  have  been 
seeking  you  everywhere.  Come,  make  haste ;  I  am  des- 
perately hungry." 

"  She  is  hungry !"  thought  Claudia  with  a  glance  up 
to  heaven.  "  I  hardly  know  whether  to  envy  her  or  to 
pity  her  1" 


CHAPTER  XI. 

THE  meal  was  ended ;  Cocceius  Nerva  had  proposed 
the  health  of  Cornelia  as  the  heroine  of  the  day.  After 
offering  a  libation,  according  to  the  ancient  custom,  he 
invoked  the  favor  and  mercy  of  the  Immortals  on  the 
young  girl;  then  he  rose  and  left  the  triclinium.  The 
whole  company  followed  him,  to  listen  to  the  sweet 
tones  of  soft  music  in  the  fresher  air  of  the  peristyle,  and 
to  walk  up  and  down  on  the  inlaid  marble  floor,  chatting 
in  low  tones.  Bronze  lamps  shed  their  light  from 
between  the  Corinthian  pillars,  and  the  stars  shone  down 
from  the  cloudless  skies ;  in  the  court  itself  a  confidential 
twilight  prevailed. 

"  Now,  my  sweet  Claudia,  tell  me,  how  do  you  like 
Trajan  ?"  **  whispered  Lucilia  in  her  sister's  ear  as  she 
stood  meditatively  by  the  fountain. 

"  I  have  only  seen  him  to-day  for  the  third  time — 
how  can  I  judge  ?" 

"To  me  he  is  quite  too  delightful.  What  a  pity 
that  he  is  already  married. — To  be  sure,  even  then  he 
would  be  too  old.  ..." 

337.  M.  ULPIUS  TRAIANUS,  born  September  i8th,  A.  D.  53,  at 
Italic  a  in  Spain,  obtained  the  consulship  in  the  year  91. 


QUINTUS   CLAUDIUS.  141 

"  Do  you  think  so  ?"  said  Claudia  absently. 

"  Why,  you  seem  to  have  forgotten  that  he  was 
consul  a  long  time  ago." 

"  Was  he  ?" 

"  Yes,  of  course,  with  Glabrio.  How  often  your 
father  has  spoken  of  him." 

"  I  do  not  happen  to  remember  it." 

"  To  be  sure,  we  were  still  in  the  nursery,  and  stories 
of  Cupid  and  Psyche  **  interested  us  more  than  the 
virtues  of  a  statesman." 

Claudia  sighed:  "Happy  childhood!"  she  said 
sadly. 

"  Nerva  even — old  Nerva — thinks  great  things  of 
him,"  Lucilia  went  on,  without  observing  this  diver- 
sion. "  He  calls  him  his  son,  and  is  always  ready  to  lis- 
ten to  his  counsels — and  in  fact  it  is  well  worth  while 
to  listen  to  what  Trajan  has  to  say.  You  cannot  think 
how  cleverly,  how  wisely  and  judiciously  he  can  talk. 
And  at  the  same  time  he  is  so  honest,  so  simple,  so  un- 
pretentious !  No  one  would  imagine  from  his  appear- 
ance, that  he  once  was  the  commander-in-chief  of  all 
the  forces  in  Germany,  with  unlimited  authority,  and 
*on  a  glorious  victory." 

"  Where  in  the  world  did  you  acquire  all  this  infor- 
mation as  to  his  merits  ? — Whenever  I  looked  across  at 
you,  you  were  chatting  with  Caius  Afranius." 

238.  CUPID  AND  PSYCHE.  The  story  of  Cupid  and  Psyche  was 
the  primeval  prototype  of  Cinderella  and  a  thousand  other  gems  of 
primitive  poetry,  and  was  familiar  in  nurseries  of  every  rank  long 
before  Appuleius  cast  it  into  shape,  availing  himself  no  doubt  of 
several  traditional  versions.  "  Once  upon  a  time  there  were  a  king 
and  queen,  who  had  three  beautiful  daughters,"  (Erant  in  quadam 
civitate  rex  et  regina  ;  hi  tres  numero  filias  forma  conspicuas  habuere,) 
was  no  doubt  as  favorite  a  legend  with  toe  children  of  that  age  as 
with  ours. 


I4«  QUINTUS   CLAUDIUS. 

"  Cneius,  not  Caius." 

"  I  thought  it  was  Caius.  Considering  it  was  your 
first  meeting,  your  conversation  with  this  Afranius  was 
somewhat  eager." 

"  Oh !  I  had  met  him  before — a  week  or  more  ago ; 
do  you  not  remember  ?  The  day  you  had  a  headache. 
He  is  intimate  with  Cornelius.  He  has  been  in  Rome 
since  the  beginning  of  March,  and  is  already  beginning 
to  play  an  important  part  in  the  Forum."  *» 

"  Is  he  a  jurist  ?"  asked  Claudia. 

"A  defender  of  the  oppressed  and  accuser  of  the 
criminal !"  answered  Lucilia  warmly.  "  He  has  even 
gained  a  cause,  quite  lately,  against  Clodianus,  Caesar's 
adjutant.  His  eloquence  and  powerful  argument  won 
him  the  victory,  in  spite  of  all  his  adversary's  art,  and 
the  impression  he  made  was  so  tremendous,  that  for  the 
moment  every  one  forgot  how  dangerous  it  is  to  have 
Clodianus  for  an  enemy.  The  whole  Basilica  •*  shook 
with  the  applause." 

"  Did  he  himself  tell  you  this?" 

"  Certainly  not !  I  heard  it  from  Ulpius  Trajanus." 

"  And  that  no  doubt  is  what  makes  you  think  Trajan 
so  amiable  ?" 

"  Silly  child !  Do  you  suppose . . .  ?  You  know,  my 
dear,  that  when  folks  are  in  love,  they  see  the  whole 
world  from  one  point  of  view." 

239.  IN  THE  FORUM,  that  is  in  the  basilica  situated  in  the  forum. 

240.  BASILICA,  (/WiAi«>i  scil.  domus  or  porticus — royal  house)  a 
magnificent  public  building,  used  for  holding  courts  of  law,  or  transact- 
ing commercial  business,  and  thus  at  the  same  time  a  court-house  and 
exchange.    Above  were  seats  for  the  spectators.    The  basilicas  con- 
sisted of  a  central  nave  and  two  side  ones,  divided  from  the  former  by 
columns.  After  Constantine  the  Great  had  transformed  numerous  ba- 
silicas into  churches,  the  name  and  style  of  architecture  became  asso- 
ciated with  the  latter. 


QUINTUS   CLAUDIUS.  143 

"  What  do  you  mean  ?" 

"Well,  I  mean  that  you  would  say  with  Theognis*41 
of  Megara,  that  amiable  poet  : 

•  Temper  the  pangs  of  love  and  assuage  the  torments,  O  Goddess, 
That  gnaw  my  heart  !  Oh  I  restore  my  joy  and  contentment.'  " 

"  You  are  incorrigible  !"  said  Claudia. 

But  Lucilia,  with  a  merry  twinkle  in  her  eye,  laid  her 
hand  on  her  companion's  shoulder,  saying  softly  :  "  Ah  ! 
fluttering  heart,  it  is  vain  to  try  concealment  !  Your 
Lucilia's  experience  and  knowledge  of  mankind  can  see 
through  every  disguise.  '  Restore  my  joy,  bring  Aurelius 
to  my  side.'  It  is  the  wolf  in  the  fable  —  he  comes  softly 
down  on  his  prey  with  a  tender,  elegiac  grace  !  Sigh 
again  —  with  Sappho  this  time  —  : 

•  Woe  is  me  !  my  tremulous  heart  beats  faintly  — 
Thou  art  near  !  My  faltering  voice  refuses  utterance  even  1'  " 

And  she  glided  off,  while  Claudia  stood  gazing  fixedly  at 
the  sparkling  water  in  the  basin.  In  her  somewhat 
hasty  retreat,  Lucilia  ran  up  against  the  broad  back  of 
Herodianus,  who  was  clinging  convulsively  to  the  back 
of  a  chair  with  both  hands,  and  leaning  over  it  gazed  up, 
as  if  spellbound,  in  silent  contemplation  at  the  star- 
spangled  sky. 

"  I  beg  your  pardon,  old  sinner  i"*4*  said  the  girl  saucily, 
as  she  passed  on  ;  but  a  deep  sigh  from  the  freedman 
made  her  pause. 

241.  THEOGNIS.  An  elegiac  poet  from  Attic  Megara,  who  lived 
B.  C.  520.  The  lines  here  quoted  by  Lucilia  may  be  found  Eleg.  1323, 
and  in  the  original  text  run  : 

,  iravcrov  fit  irovutv,  fficeSaerov  Si  / 


242.  OLD  SINNER  !    Lucilia  here  speaks  in  the  tone  of  the  old 
Latin  comedies  (Pluutus,  Terence}. 


144  QUINTUS   CLAUDIUS. 

"  What  is  the  matter,  oh !  boon  companion  from  the 
North  ?  Are  you  suffering  from  apoplexy  ?  or  do  you 
wish  to  become  a  mathematician  P*43  Why  are  you  staring 
so  dolefully  up  at  the  Pleiades  ?" 

"Ah!  sweet  mistress — what  is  it  the  Greek  sage 
says?  'All  things  flow  away  1'  •"  I  too  am  flowing  away. 
I  do  not  know  how  I  feel." 

"The  wine-cup  could  answer  that  perhaps,"  sug- 
gested Lucilia. 

"  No  indeed — my  feeble  constitution  to  be  sure — 
and  that  Caecubum  was  excellent.  Perhaps  it  has  flowed 
through  all  my  limbs — but  with  all  respect  be  it  said,  I 
am  used  to  that.  —  And  a  sense  of  propriety — but  you 
see,  mistress,  I  cannot  stir  from  the  spot,  and  at  the  same 
time — oh  no!  it  is  not  the  wine,  for  I  feel  full  of  lofty 
ideas;  my  head  is  clear — uplifted,  I  might  say,  to 
Olympian  heights — like  Pelion  piled  on  Ossa.  Oh  fair 
lady !  you  who  are  kindness  itself,  allow  me  to  ask  you 
one  question  ....!" 

"  Speak,  you  shameless  toper;  but  first  sit  down, for 
I  foresee  the  moment  when,  if  you  do  not,  the  chair  will 
slide  away  on  the  polished  pavement  and  you  will  fall 
on  the  top  of  it." 

"  You  are  right,  mistress — and  it  is  all  in  my  knees! 
my  miserable  legs  —  you  are  very  right,  the  pavement 
is  slippery.  Why  ore  pavements  so  polished,  I  wonder? 
Very  well,  then  I  vill  sit  down.  Excuse  me  if  I  seem 
to  have  some  difficulty  in  doing  so. — The  gods  have 


243.  MATHEMATICIAN.      The  usual  name  of  the  (principally 
Chaldean)  astrologers. 

244.  ALL  THINGS  FLOW  AWAY  !     (wdrra  ptl)  asserted  the  philoso- 
pher Heraclitus  of  Ephcsus,  (460  B.  C.)  called  on  account  of  his  ob- 
•curity,  "the  dark." 


QUINTUS   CLAUDIUS.  145 

doomed  the  fat  to  labor  and  sweat. — There,  now  I  am 
seated." 

"  By  Lyaeus,*45  but  you  are  a  scandal !  Here,  even 
here,  in  the  house  of  Cinna,  where  temperance  reigns 
supreme  .  .  .  .  " 

"Temperance  is  good  —  I  knew  that  long  ago,  fair 
Lucilia.  —  But  now,  lend  me  your  ear.  Who — who — 
was  that  magnificent  creature — that  splendidly-de- 
Teloped  woman  who  sat  at  the  end,  quite  at  the  bottom 
of  the  table,  not  far  from  your  worthy — your — what  is 
her  name — Baucis.  She  wore  a  brown  dress  —  an  ele- 
gant bracelet  clasped  her  arm  .  .  .  .  " 

"  Who  can  you  mean  ?"  asked  Lucilia,  looking 
round  her ;  Herodianus  also  looked  about. 

"  There,  there  she  is,"  he  whispered  rapturously : 
"  She  is  talking  to  Ulpius  Trajanus.  Ye  gods !  what  a 
form  !  what  grace  and  dignity!" 

Lucilia  made  a  desperate  effort  and  swallowed  her 
laughter. 

"  That  ?"  she  said,  irresistibly  tempted  to  carry  on 
the  jest:  "  That  short,  stout  woman  by  the  pillar  ?" 

"Just  going  into  the  hall." 

"  That  is  Chloe,  who  brought  up  our  sweet  friend 
Cornelia.  She  is  a  native  of  Antium,  the  daughter  of  a 
freedman,  six  and  thirty  years  of  age,  unmarried,  and 
possessor  of  a  little  fortune — what  more  can  heart 
desire  ?  In  truth,  Herodianus,  I  admire  your  distin- 
guished taste:  that  round  face,  that  short  fat  throat, 
that  wide  mouth  —  wider  even  than  mine — are  these 
not  heaven-sent  gifts  from  Cypris  herself?" 


245.  LYAEUS  (Avo««),  the  deliverer,  the  care-dispeller,  a  name 
given  Bacchus. 

Vol.  I.  10 


146  QUINTUS   CLAUDIUS. 

"  To  me  she  is  divine.  Past  the  first  bud  of  youth, 
mature  in  body  and  mind  ;  Chloe  stirs  my  soul  to  feel- 
ings, which  till  this  hour  I  had  never  appreciated.  Fifty 
years  old  —  and  even  now  unblest  with  the  joys  of 
family  life !  Oh  Chloe !  Chloe !  If  only  you  had  crossed 
my  path  earlier  !  ...  I  ....  I  might  not  have  drunk  so 
much  Caecubum  and  Falernian  !  When  Hymen  opens 
his  bosom  to  receive  us,  the  rock  of  offence  fades 
away  .  .  .  Alas  mistress,  if  the  spring-tide  of  life  could 
but  blossom  for  me  once  more !  If  I  could  again  rest 
my  head  on  the  bosom  of  a  loving  woman  .  .  .  .  !  Tra- 
jectum,  city  of  my  heart,  home  of  my  youth !  I  remem- 
ber to  this  day  how  my  mother — for  the  last  time — 
cut  my  hair.  It  was  up  in  the  little  corner  room. 
How  long,  long  ago!  Oh!  if  only  I  were  away,  far 
away  from  here !  What  have  I  left  to  live  for  in  this 
world  ?  A  cup  of  wine !  Oh  !  woe  is  me !" 

And  he  began  to  cry  copiously,  but  noiselessly. 

Lucilia  thought  it  advisable  to  leave  the  man's 
strange  mood  to  run  its  course.  "  Is  it  in  earnest  or  a 
mere.craze  ?"  she  thought,  as  she  shook  her  head.  Then 
she  danced  off  to  join  Cornelia,  who  was  sitting  under 
the  arcade,  listening  with  half  indifferent  attention  to 
the  muttered  counsels  of  Baucis. 

"  What  Pythian  wisdom  are  you  uttering  now,  O 
blue-robed  Baucis?"  asked  Lucilia,  patting, the  slave- 
woman  lightly  on  the  shoulder. 

"Wisdom  that  you  would  do  well  to  profit  by," 
retorted  Baucis.  "A  new  veil  or  an  amusing  book 
is,  I  know,  dearer  to  you  far  than  the  most  sacred 
oracles." 

"  Indeed  ?  Who  told  you  that  ?  Chatter  away  in  all 
confidence! — on  the  contrary  —  if  what  you  told  me 


QUINTUS   CLAUDIUS.  147 

the  other  day  about  Barbillus,*46  the  priest  of  Isis,  is 
true.  .  .  ." 

"  I  was  just  speaking  of  that  very  thing.  Our  noble 
Cornelia  is  astounded  at  the  extraordinary  miracle. 
Exactly  at  the  very  moment,  that  Barbillus  had  foretold, 
I  fell  in  a  swoon,  as  he  had  r,aid,  and  saw  the  myste- 
rious vision.  I  saw  the  goddess  floating  above  me  in 
shining  white.  O,  ye  immortals !  I  knew  of  course  that 
it  was  not  she  herself,  only  her  image  in  a  dream ;  for 
how  should  Isis,  the  all  powerful,  condescend  to  come 
down  to  me,  a  humble  slave,  and  to  speak  with  me — 
and  in  Greek  too !  Still,  I  could  almost  have  sworn 
that  it  was  she,  I  saw  her  so  plainly — the  folds  of  her 
silvery  robe,  and  her  noble  and  gentle  face,  so  lovely,, 
oh,  so  lovely!  as  beautiful  as  you  are,  noble  Cornelia. 
Xo,  I  maintain  it;  I  will  never  apply  to  any  other 
priest  than  Barbillus,  the  favorite  of  the  gods.  He  will 
reveal  my  whole  future  life  to  me — only  think,  noble 
Cornelia,  for  the  ridiculously  small  price  of  two  hundred 
sesterces  —  but  I  did  not  happen  to  have  so  much 
about  me  just  then.  Besides — what  can  I  expect 
should  happen  to  me  at  my  time  of  life  ?  My  dear 
Quintus  has  his  sweet  Cornelia;  our  darling  Claudia 
sooner  or  later — well,  well,  I  meant  nothing — and  you, 
bright  Lucilia — I  cannot  be  anxious  about  you.  You 
bear  your  own  happiness  in  yourself.  Well,  so  I  said 
very;  humbly:  'Oh!  my  lord,'  said  I,  'no  future  lies 
before  me.  But  I  will  tell  the  fair  Cornelia,  betrothed 
to  our  Quintus,  that  you  are  a  true  prophet — our  Cor- 
nelia, who  is  so  full  of  melancholy  fancies,  and  who 
prays  so  fervently  and  humbly  to  the  beneficent  god- 

246.  BARBILLUS.  An  astrologer  of  this  name  is  mentioned.    Dio 
Cass,  LXVI,  9. 


148  QUINTUS   CLAUDI 

dess.'  Then  Barbillus  gave  me  this  precious  amulet.— 
It  is  only  made  of  horn,  but  the  power  that  resides  in 
it  makes  it  precious." 

Cornelia  had  listened  to  her  in  silence,  and  her  face 
was  as  pale  as  death. 

"Listen,"  she  began  after  a  pause:  "You  are  ad- 
vanced in  age  and  rich  in  experience,  and  for  many  a 
year  you  have  had  to  do  with  the  chosen  servants  of  the 
goddess.  What  do  you  advise  me  ?  Last  night  I  had  a 
dream*47 — a  mysterious  dream.  I  was  standing  alone  on 
a  vast  untilled  plain ;  everything  was  deserted  and  silent. 
There  was  not  a  tree,  not  a  shrub,  not  a  herb  —  rotting 
bones  and  nothing  else  lay  hideous  on  the  ground,  but 
far  away  on  the  horizon  shone  the  walls  and  towers  of  a 
splendid  town." 

"  That  is  full  of  meaning,"  observed  Baucis. 

"  Listen  to  the  end.  As  I  gazed  at  the  distant  and 
radiant  city,  I  felt  my  heart  swell  with  fervent  and  un- 
speakable longing.  I  struggled  breathlessly  to  get  for- 
wards, but  my  feet  seemed  rooted  to  the  ground.  I  was 
seized  with  terror,  and  trembling  with  fear  I  looked  up- 
wards ;  there  I  saw  Quintus,  high  above  me,  but  coming 
across  the  waste  like  Helios  in  the  sun-chariot,  and 
beckoning  to  me  lovingly.  I  struggled,  I  groaned,  I 
screamed.  In  vain !  I  held  up  my  hands  and  cried  out 
with  the  fervor  of  anguish:  '  Isis,  mother  of  the  universe  ! 


247.  LAST  NIGHT  I  HAD  A  DREAM.  Faith  in  the  prophetic 
character  of  dreams  was  universal  in  Rome ;  their  interpretation  was 
a  regular  profession.  A  surprising  example  of  the  seriousness  with 
which  the  representatives  of  mis  "  profession"  regarded  their  calling, 
is  furnished  in  the  dream-book  of  the  {undoubtedly  sincere)  Artemi- 
dorus,  (Daldianus.)  If  Lucilia  laughs  at  Cornelia's  fears,  it  is  a  piece 
of  free-thinking  which  did  not  often  happen,  and  springs  rather  from 
a  merry,  saucy  mood,  than  the  deeper  source  of  a  philosophical  con- 


QUINTUS    CLAUDIUS.  149 

Isis,  save  me !' — But  the  goddess  was  deaf.  At  last,  after 
a  long  agony,  I  heard  Chloe's  voice;  the  good  soul 
was  standing  by  my  bed.  I  awoke  groaning  .  .  .  .  " 

"  A  hideous  dream,"  said  Baucis. 

"  And  when  I  question  my  heart,  it  seems  to  me  that 
it  bodes  evil." 

"  Folly !"  laughed  Lucilia.  "  I  have  dreamed  worse 
things  than  that  a  hundred  times,  and  no  great  event 
has  ever  happened  to  me.  What  does  it  mean  ?  Why, 
that  you  were  lying  uncomfortably,  or  had  read  some- 
thing the  day  before .  .  .  ." 

Cornelia  rose  gravely. 

"  My  dearest,  you  are  not  cross  with  me  ?"  cried 
Lucilia  following  her. 

"  Not  at  all,"  said  Cornelia  with  a  polite  smile.  "  No, 
indeed,  certainly  not,"  she  added  less  coldly,  as  her  eyes 
met  Lucilia's  affectionate  glance.  "  Come,  let  us  be 
moving.  Such  discourse  ill-beseems  a  festival,  and  to-day 
is  to  be  a  festival,  my  birthday." 

Meanwhile  Caius  Aurelius  had  found  a  pretext — in 
agreement  with  his  promise  to  Cinna — for  taking  Quin- 
tus  Claudius  into  his  host's  study,  and  a  minute  later 
Cinna  himself  came  in,  accompanied  by  Marcus  Cocceius 
Nerva. 

"  At  last !"  cried  Cinna  when  all  were  seated.  "  It 
has  been  sticking  in  my  throat  like  a  mouthful  of  poison. 
Quintus,  you  too  must  hear  what  I  have  to  say.  The 
facts  are  perhaps  known  to  you,  for  the  house  of  Titus 
Claudius  is  ultimately  allied  with  the  palace . . . .  " 

"  I  know  nothing,  I  can  assure  you,"  interrupted 
Quintus,  somewhat  coldly. 

"  Well  then,  hear  them  now.  I  know  you  to  be  a 
young  man  of  proved  courage  and  of  excellent  under- 


150  QUINTUS   CLAUDIUS. 

standing.  —  Until  now  you  have  taken  the  darkness  for 
light  and  bitter  for  sweet,  as  not  discerning  them ;  your 
father's  strong  spirit  has  influenced  you,  and  his  errors  of 
judgment  have  descended  to  you.  But  now,  my  friend, 
use  your  own  judgment,  and  ask  yourself  on  your 
honor :  Is  Rome  still  Rome  ?" 

"You  really  excite  my  curiosity,"  said  the  young 
man,  with  more  reserve  than  ever. 

Cornelius  Cinna  shut  the  doors ;  then  he  went  on  in 
a  mysterious  and  trembling  voice : 

"  It  was  last  night.  Happily  for  you,  Nerva,  your 
ailing  health  had  taken  you  into  the  country,  and  so 
saved  you  from  the  worst.  I  was  lying  in  bed,  but  I 
could  not  sleep ;  I  was  tormented  by  a  ceaseless  whirl 
of  confused  thoughts,  and  was  on  the  point  of  calling  to 
Charicles,  that  he  might  read  to  me.  Suddenly  I  heard 
heavy  blows  on  the  house  door  .  .  .  ^  *  Porter,  wake 
up,  make  haste,  a  message  from  Caesar  P  " 

Cocceius  Nerva  leaned  forward  eagerly  in  his  chair; 
his  breath  came  quicker  and  deeper  as  he  listened. 
Cornelius  Cinna  went  on. 

"  My  bedroom  door  was  opened,  so  I  heard  every 
word.  I  heard  the  porter  refuse  admittance.  *  Caesar 
requires  your  master's  presence  at  the  palace/  said  a 
voice  outside.  I  sprang  up  and  ordered  him  to  open  the 
door.  I  had  hardly  time  to  throw  on  my  toga,  when 
Caesar's  messengers  came  into  the  atrium — men  at  arms 
belonging  to  the  praetorian  guard.  '  Our  god  and  mas- 
ter Domitian  **  requires  you  to  attend  immediately,'  said 
the  officer.  'Is  the  state  in  danger?'  I  asked  angrily. 
The  soldier  shrugged  his  shoulders ;  *  I  do  not  know,' 

248.  OUR  GOD  AND  MASTER  DOMITIAN.  The  emperor  Domi- 
tian ordered  himself  to  be  called,  "  God  and  Master."  Suet,  Dom.  13. 


QUINTUS   CLAUDIUS.  151 

he  said ;  '  our  orders  are  to  fetch  you ;  no  reasons  were 
given.  Do  not  delay,  noble  Cinna,  the  litter  is  at  the 
door.'" 

"Unheard-of! — "  murmured  Nerva,  passing  his 
fingers  through  his  grey  hair. 

"I  wanted  to  refuse;  my  own  chair  and  bearers 
were  ready —  'That  will  not  do/  said  the  soldier: 
4  You  are  to  come  alone,  with  no  followers.'  Cinna  with- 
out followers !  I  considered  a  moment,  but  only  for  a 
moment — then  I  had  decided. — The  situation  was 
serious,  I  looked  on  the  whole  thing  as  a  plot  'Caesar,' 
said  I  to  myself,  'counts  on  your  defying  him,  and  hopes 
thus  to  find  a  pretext  for  your  destruction — long  since 
determined  on.  He  will  avail  himself  of  that.  He 
shrinks  from  dealing  you  an  arbitrary  blow  for  no  reason 
at  all,  for  he  knows  that  the  Romans  love  you,  and  he 
dreads  the  public  resentment.  Hence,  if  you  refuse  to 
obey,  you  will  supply  him  with  an  excuse . . . ! '  Well — I 
obeyed  .  .  .  Cornelius  Cinna  obeyed !  And  after  all  it 
might  concern  the  weal  or  woe  of  the  state. — As  a  pre- 
caution, however,  I  hid  a  phial  of  poison  in  my  dress 
and  then  I  told  the  men  at  arms  that  I  was  ready." 

"  You  acted  very  wisely,"  said  Cocceius  Nerva. 

"It  was  the  wisdom  of  necessity.  Now,  listen  to 
what  seems  incredible.  When  I  reached  the  palace,  I 
was  received  by  slaves  dressed  all  in  black ;  they  led 
me  into  a  hall  hung  with  black,  where  I  found  all  the 
leading  men  of  the  senate  and  of  the  knightly  order 
assembled  and  waiting  in  agonized  expectation.  They 
all,  like  me,  had  been  abruptly  fetched  from  their  beds 
and  brought  thither  in  litters  sent  by  Caesar.  Presently 
we  were  desired  to  sit  down,  and  a  black  column  was 
placed  in  front  of  each  man,  with  his  name  engraved 


I $2  QUINTUS   CLAUDIUS. 

upon  it.  Two  sepulchral  lamps  were  then  lighted  and 
youths,  dressed  in  black,  performed  a  solemn  dance, 
and  a  funeral  banquet,"49  served  on  black  dishes,  closed 
the  hideous  farce.  Caesar  himself,  calm  and  haughty, 
took  the  head  of  the  table.  Every  one  seemed  paralyzed; 
each  one  expected  to  meet  his  death  the  next  instant. 
Sextus,  who  sat  by  my  side,  was  sobbing  like  a  woman. 
I  whispered  to  him  to  be  calm  —  that  the  whole  thing 
was  a  mere  brutal  jest,  but  he  was  not  to  be  convinced 
and  broke  into  tears." 

"He  is  but  a  coward  —  I  know  him  well!"  said 
Nerva. 

"  A  stammering  child  !  As  for  me,  I  reaHy  do  not 
know  myself,  what  gave  me  a  conviction  from  the  very 
first,  that  we  were  in  no  danger.  Caesar  would  talk  of 
nothing  but  things  which  referred  to  death  and  murder 
and  yet,  in  spite  of  that,  my  confidence  grew  each  mo- 
ment. But  I  was  burning  with  rage,  with  revengeful 
fury,  that  I  could  scarcely  control  or  conceal." 

"  I  wonder  indeed  that  you  could  bear  it,"  cried 
Nerva,  drawing  a  deep  breath.  "  Knowing  you  as  I  do, 
it  is  nothing  less  than  a  miracle." 

"A  miracle  indeed !  But  the  Fates  would  not  have 
it  that  Cornelius  Cinna  should  fall  into  so  stupid  a  trap. 

—  I  mastered  myself.  At  last  Caesar  rose  from  the  table 
and  dismissed  us,  and  the  guard  escorted  us  home  again. 

—  I  was  choking  with  shame  and  wrath.     What  am  I, 
my  friend  Nerva,  that  I  am  to  submit  to  such  treatment  ? 
Am  I  a  Roman  or  no  ?     Am  I  Cornelius  Cinna — or  a 
slave,  a  dog  ?     Was  such  base  buffoonery  ever  heard  of 

249.  FUNERAL  BANQUET.  The  story  of  the  nocturnal  sum- 
mons to  the  senators  and  knights  is  related  by  Dio  Cassius 
(LXVII,  9.) 


QUINTUS   CLAUDIUS.  153 

even  under  a  Nero,  or  Caligula  ?  Nay,  my  endurance 
is  at  an  end !  Sooner  would  I  be  a  street  porter  in  the 
meanest  suburb,*50  than  remain  senator  under  the  burden 
of  this  intolerable  yoke!" 

He  sank  back  in  his  chair  with  a  groan,  and  covered 
his  face.  There  was  a  long  pause,  which  Quintus  was 
the  first  to  break. 

"  What !"  he  said  with  a  scowl.  "  Did  Caesar  dare 
to  do  such  things  ?  I  have  long  known,  that  he  was 
liable  to  fits  of  extravagant  whims  and  fancies,  but — as 
I  understood — only  in  his  treatment  of  the  foes  of  the 
throne.  I  believed  in  the  wisdom  of  my  venerable  and 
learned  father,  when  he  assured  me  that  some  injustice, 
both  apparent  and  real,  was  inevitable  in  the  conduct  of 
so  vast  an  empire ;  that  the  good  of  the  commonwealth 
was  paramount  over  the  fate  of  individuals.  —  But  now, 
by  the  gods,  Cinna!  but  if  your  indignation  has  not 
painted  the  picture  too  darkly " 

"  Too  darkly  !"  exclaimed  Cinna  starting  up.  "  To 
be  sure,  you  are  the  son  of  Titus  Claudius.  But  hear 
me  to  the  end.  Hardly  had  Charicles  once  more  put 
out  the  lamp,  when  I  again  heard  a  knocking  at  the 
door.  Would  you  believe  it?  another  message  from 
Caesar.  His  gracious  majesty  this  time  sent  me  the  fel- 
low who  had  led  the  dance  in  black  as  a  present,  and 
begged  to  know  how  I  had  liked  the  midnight  supper. 
By  the  great  name  of  Brutus !  A  tipsy  reveller  never 
spurned  a  beggar  with  more  utter  contempt  j*5'  in  the 

250.  THE  MEANEST  SUBURB.    Butuntum.  a  little  city  in  Apulia, 
now  Bitonto.  is  used  by  Martial  (Ep.  II.  48  and  IV.  55)  as'  a  synonym 
for  "quiet  provincial  town,"  as  the  inhabitants  of  Berlin  say : ""  Treu- 
enbrietzen    or  "  Perleberg." 

251.  UTTER  CONTEMPT.     One  of  the  principal  amusements  of 
pay  young  men  was  to  play  pranks  in  the  streets  at  night,  usually  on 


154  QUINTUS   CLAUDIUS. 

first  burst  of  anger  I  could  have  flung  the  boy  on  the 
ground.  But  I  recollected  myself.  Cornelius  Cinna  will 
never  let  the  weapon  atone  for  the  arm  that  wields 
it...." 

Nerva  rose  and  clasped  his  excited  and  angry  friend 
in  his  arms. 

"  Be  calm,"  he  said  in  a  deep  voice.  Then,  going 
up  to  Quintus  he  said  loftily : 

"  And  you,  noble  youth,  give  me  your  right  hand  in 
pledge  of  silence !  Not  that  Cornelius  Cinna  has  said 
anything  that  need  shun  the  light  of  day — but  you 
know  the  danger  to  which  freedom  of  speech  is  exposed. 
His  indignation  and  bitter  feeling  must  remain  a 
secret  .  .  .  .  " 

"  A  secret  ?  and  why  ?  To-morrow  I  propose  seeing 
Caesar  at  his  great  reception.  I  will  hear  from  his  own 
lips  the  meaning  of  this  mysterious  midnight  banquet. 
I  will  insist  on  satisfaction  for  Cinna  .  .  .  .  " 

"  Madman,  what  are  you  thinking  of  ?"  cried  Nerva 
horrified. 

"  Of  my  duty — rely  on  my  discretion.  Caesar  owes 
something  to  me  .  ..." 

"  Domitian  owes  you  something !"  laughed  Cinna 
scornfully.  "  Do  you  not  know,  that  he  hates  those 
most  who  have  rendered  him  a  service?  Do  not  I 
know  it  by  my  own  experience  ?" 

"  It  is  worth  trying,  at  any  rate,"  said  Quintus.  "But 
now  allow  me  to  breathe  the  fresh  air ;  I  am  suffocating 
in  here."  And  as  he  spoke  he  unbarred  the  door  and 
quitted  the  room. 

the  proletarii.  A  special  favorite  was  the  Sagatio,  which  consisted 
in  putting  some  unfortunate  wight  in  a  cloak,  and  tossing  him  up  and 
down  like  Sancho  Panza. 


QUINTUS   CLAUDIUS.  155 

"  You  must  dissuade  him  !"  said  Nerva,  as  the  door 
closed  upon  him. 

"  He  is  mad,"  said  Cinna,  Then,  turning  to  Aurelius, 
he  went  on :  "  You,  my  friend,  go  now  and  mingle 
with  the  guests.  Amuse  yourself,  refresh  and  rest  your- 
self. You  are  young,  and  youth  claims  its  dues.  To- 
morrow— you  know — at  the  house  of  Afranius  .  .  .  .  " 

"  Yes,  I  know,"  answered  Aurelius,  drawing  a  deep 
breath,  "  and  I  thank  you,  noble  friends,  for  honoring  me 
by  admitting  me  to  your  society  and  confidence." 

He  went  slowly  out  into  the  atrium,  where  the  dark- 
ness was  but  dimly  broken  by  a  few  lamps  hanging  un- 
der the  colonnade.  A  cold  chill  fell  on  his  heart,  for, 
from  the  peristyle,  he  heard  a  girl's  voice  singing  a  grace- 
ful melody  to  the  chords  of  a  cithara.  It  was  the  same 
air  that  had  charmed  his  heart  before  now,  at  Baiae  — 
the  Spring  song  of  Ibycus;  it  was  the  same  voice — the 
voice  of  his  beautiful,  adored  and  peerless  Claudia. 
These  few  weeks  had  wrought  an  entire  change  in  him. 
He  had  been  unresistingly  drawn  into  the  vortex  of  two  en- 
gulfing passions.  On  one  hand  was  the  noble  girl  whom 
he  worshipped  and  perhaps  might  never  win,  on  the 
other  were  the  proud  nobles — men  inspired  with  the 
most  fervid  patriotism,  who  had  taken  him  spellbound 
as  by  some  sacred  magic ;  the  champions  of  liberty,  of 
manly  dignity,  of  proud  .Roman  virtue,  among  a  degen- 
erate rabble  of  slaves.  What  a  storm  and  whirl  of  feel- 
ing in  the  present,  and  what  a  struggle  to  be  fought  in 
the  future ! 

He  stood  still  to  listen ;  a  faint  murmur  coming  up 
through  the  peaceful  night,  was  all  that  could  be  heard 
of  the  tumult  of  the  busy  city  that  surrounded  them, 
and  the  sweet  girlish  voice  rose  clear  and  strong — as 


1 56  QUINTUS   CLAUDIUS. 

pure  and  holy  as  though  in  all  the  earth  there  was  no 
such  thing  as  sorrow,  as  remorse  and  cnme.  The  song, 
as  it  soared  up  fresh  and  strong  from  the  innocent  soul, 
seemed  to  rise  to  heaven  in  atonement  for  the  infinite 
wickedness  of  the  two  million  souls  in  the  city,  and  for 
the  foul  and  bloody  deeds  of  its  tyrants.  Aurelius 
quivered  in  every  nerve,  and  tears  sprang  to  his  eyes ; 
but  he  instantly  struck  his  breast  resolutely  and  defiantly, 
and  dashing  his  hand  across  his  wet  lashes,  went  through 
the  corridor  into  the  peristyle. 


CHAPTER  XII. 

IT  was  the  middle  of  the  second  vigil — between  ten 
and  eleven  o'clock  at  night  by  our  reckoning  of  time  — 
and  the  house  of  Cornelius,  Cinna  was  sunk  in  silent  re- 
pose. The  lamp  in  the  peristyle  was  extinguished,  and 
the  last  guests — Claudia,  Lucilia  and  Quintus — had  left 
about  half  an  hour  since  .... 

There  was  a  sound  of  steps  in  the  colonnade — soft, 
cautious,  and  mysterious.  Two  women  wrapped  in  large 
cloaks  went  to  the  back  door,*53  followed  by  a  sturdy 
slave. 

"  Oh !  my  sweet  mistress,"  whispered  Chloe,  as  she 
opened  the  little  gate,  "  you  may  believe  it  or  not,  but  my 
knees  shake  beneath  me.  If  your  uncle  were  to  dis- 
cover us  .  .  . !  It  would  be  the  death  of  me !" 

"  Silence !"  replied  Cornelia.  "  My  uncle  is  sound 
asleep.  And  even  if  he  were  to  find  out ..." 

252.  THE  BACK  DOOR.  (Postifum)  was  the  name  given  to  the  little 
door,  leading  from  the  back  of  the  cavaedium  or  peristyle  to  the 
street. 


QUINTUS   CLAUDIUS.  157 

"  Oh  yes !  I  know  very  well,  you  are  not  afraid  of 
his  anger.  And  in  fact  what  could  he  do  to  you  ?  But 
I — ye  merciful  gods! — Are  you  quite  certain  that  the 
priest  expects  us  ?" 

"  Perfectly  certain.  Aspasia  brought  me  a  quite  dis- 
tinct message." 

"  Well  then  —  I  wash  my  hands  in  innocence.  It  is 
fearfully  dark  out  here — I  shall  be  truly  thankful,  if 
nothing  dreadful  happens  to  us." 

"  Silly  thing !  The  Temple  of  Isis  is  quite  near  at 
hand,  and  Parmenio  is  with  us." 

Chloe  closed  the  door  behind  her  and  sighed  deeply; 
still  she  made  one  more  attempt  to  stop  her  mistress. 
"  Must  it  be  to-day  ?"  she  said  plaintively. 

"  Yes,  this  very  hour.  When  the  day  is  done  in 
which  the  dream  was  seen,  the  seer's  power  is  gone. 
You  heard  Baucis  say  so." 

"  Baucis !"  said  Chloe  contemptuously. 

"  She  only  repeated  the  priest's  words.  Make  haste; 
minutes  are  precious.  Go  in  front,  my  good  Parmenio." 

They  went  down  the  street  and  turned  to  the  right 
along  a  narrow  alley,  which  zigzagged  between  high 
walls  and  led  them  to  the  back  of  the  temple  of  Isis. 
They  presently  reached  the  vestibule  of  Barbillus,  where 
a  slave  was  waiting  behind  the  door  with  a  gilt  lantern ; 
he  bowed  low  and  led  them,  without  speaking  a  word, 
to  an  upper  room. 

Barbillus — a  man  of  marked  eastern  type,  handsome 
and  tall,  with  waving  locks,  like  an  oriental  Zeus — 
received  his  guests  with  an  admirable  combination  of 
affability  and  dignified  reserve.  He  desired  Chloe  and 
the  astonished  slave  to  wait  in  an  outer  room,  while  he 
opened  a  side  door  and  led  the  way  into  another. 


158  QUINTUS   CLAUDIUS. 

Cornelia  followed  him  with  a  beating  heart,  through  a 
perfect  labyrinth  of  dimly-lighted  rooms  and  corridors, 
till  at  length  they  came  into  a  hall  mysteriously  fitted 
up  as  a  sanctuary,  and  well  calculated  to  impress  the 
senses  with  a  magical  spell.  Dark  curtains,  embroidered 
with  dead  silver,  hung  over  the  walls  on  every  side,  and 
in  a  niche,  on  a  silver  pedestal,  sat  a  statue  of  the  god- 
dess closely  wrapped  in  veils,  while,  to  the  right  and 
left  of  the  figure,  magnificent  censers  stood  on  brazen 
tripods.  A  lamp  hanging  from  the  star-spangled  ceiling 
cast  a  ghostly  blue  light  on  the  scene. 

"  Pray  here,  my  daughter,"  said  Barbillus  in  a  deep 
voice;  "  beseech  the  all-merciful  mother  of  the  universe 
to  enlighten  our  spirits;  mine,  that  I  may  see  and 
speak,  thine,  that  thou  mayest  hear  and  learn.  I  will 
leave  thee  to  meditate  alone,  fair  Cornelia."  And  he 
quitted  the  room,  slowly  closing  the  tapestried  door. 

Hardly  had  he  left  her,  when  Cornelia  sank  on  her 
knees  in  fervent  devotion.  The  mystical  surroundings, 
the  dim  blue  light,  the  perfume  of  incense,*53  which 
loaded  the  air  with  stupifying  sweetness,  and  the  veiled 
and  silent  presence  of  the  divinity — all  combined  to 
impress  her  profoundly.  Her  heart  was  full  to  bursting. 

Suddenly  the  air  was  filled  with  a  sound  as  of  the 
music  of  the  spheres.  A  delicious  harmony  seemed  to 
proceed  from  the  walls,  the  floor  beneath  her,  and  the 
statue  itself,  and  to  cradle  her  soul  in  lulling  witchery ; 
while,  at  the  same  instant,  pale  tongues  of  flame  broke 


253.  PERFUME  OF  INCENSE.  Incense  (thus)  was  generally  used 
not  only  in  the  temple  of  Isis,  but  at  the  ceremonies  attending  the 
offering  of  sacrifices  in  the  Roman  national  worship.  It  was  the  resin 
from  an  Arabian  tree,  and  the  so-called  liquid  incense  was  considered 
the  best. 


QUINTUS    CLAUDIUS.  159 

out  over  the  two  censers  and  danced  fitfully,  but,  as  it 
seemed,  lovingly  up  to  the  shrouded  goddess. 

"  Isis  !  O  Isis !"  sobbed  the  girl,  raising  her  snowy 
.arms  to  the  divinity.  "  First-born  of  the  ages !  "^ 
Highest  among  the  Immortals!  Sovereign  lady  of 
departed  souls ! .  One  and  perfect  revelation  of  all  the 
gods  and  goddesses !  Almighty  Queen,  whose  nod  the 
heavens  and  earth  obey !  Eternal  Power,  who  art  blest 
under  a  thousand  forms  and  by  a  thousand  names,  by 
the  sages  of  every  land !  Hear,  O  hear  me !  I  have  all 
thou  canst  bestow  of  earthly  joys ;  I  am  young,  fair  and 
rich,  and  have  the  love  of  the  noblest  and  best  heart  that 
beats  among  the  youth  of  Rome !  And  yet,  one  thing 
is  lacking  to  me,  O  Goddess !  One  thing,  which  I  crave 
of  thy  mercy  with  floods  of  tears :  Peace,  inward,  all- 
sufficient  peace  of  heart.  Isis !  mother  of  heaven,  hear 
me !  Over  my  head  there  lowers  a  forecast  of  evil ;  my 
spirit  wanders  groping  in  darkness.  Thou  hast  sent  me 
a  dream,  a  warning;  but  alas!  thine  ignorant  child  strives 
in  vain  to  read  it. — Teach  me  thyself  to  know  thy  will ; 
reveal  thyself  to  me!  Give  me  peace  and  the  calm 
beatitude,  the  grace  of  heaven !  Save,  oh !  save  me  ! 
All  that  I  dare  call  mine  must  ere  long  fade. — The 
storms  of  time  must  sweep  it  away !  Give  me  salvation, 
the  true  love  which  is  eternal !  Isis,  all-loving  Isis,  have 
pity  on  me!" 

The  goddess's  veil  was  lifted  a  little  from  her  face  ; 
half-appalled,  half-fascinated,  Cornelia  gazed  up  at  it.  A 

254.  FIRST-BORN  OF  THE  AGES.  The  invocation  to  the  god- 
dess Isis  is  partly  borrowed  from  the  metamorphoses  of  Appuleius 
(XI,  5)  where  the  goddess  calls  herself:  "first-born  of  all  the  centuries, 
highest  of  the  gods,  queen  of  the  Manes,  princess  of  the  heavenly 
powers,"  etc.,  repeating  the  names  under  which  she  is  revered  through- 
out the  world.. 


160  QUINTUS   CLAUDIUS. 

tender  radiance  like  moonlight  fell  upon  the  pale,  marble 
features,  and  a  benevolent  smile  parted  the  lips.  But  be- 
fore the  tremulous  worshipper  was  fully  aware  of  what 
was  happening,  the  light  vanished,  the  veil  was  softly 
dropped — it  was  all  gone  like  a  dream,  and  the  music  as 
suddenly  ceased.  Cornelia  was  aware  of  a  violent  shock 
as  of  an  earthquake.  Hardly  mistress  of  herself,  she 
closed  her  eyes  and  pressed  her  forehead  against  the 
pedestal  of  the  statue.  When  she  looked  up  again,  Bar- 
billus  was  standing  by  her  side  in  a  white  robe255  made 
of  byssus  tissue,  and  he  smiled  as  he  held  out  his  hand 
to  her. 

"  The  goddess  has  heard  your  prayer,"  he  said  in  an 
agitated  voice.  "Tell  me  now  what  the  vision  was,  and 
listen  to  the  words  of  her  servant." 

As  he  spoke  he  drew  the  curtain  aside  from  a  stud- 
ded door,  and  led  Cornelia  up  a  narrow  stair  to  an  attic 
room,  where  he  carefully  closed  the  shutters  and  desired 
Cornelia  to  be  seated  on  a  couch.  No  sooner  had  she 
obeyed,  than  the  tapers  on  a  small  altar  were  lighted  -> 
as  the  censers  before  had  been — without  any  visible 
agency. 

Barbillus  knelt  down,  bowing  his  face  over  a  sacred 
book  which  lay  unrolled  between  the  tapers,  and  he  re- 
mained in  this  position,  while  Cornelia  related  her  dream. 
Then,  after  putting  up  a  silent  prayer,  he  suddenly  went 
up  to  the  girl,  bending  down  over  her  in  such  a  way  that 
she  could  perceive  the  small  tonsure256  on  the  crown  of 
his  head  in  the  middle  of  his  dark  curls. 

255.  WHITE  ROBE.    The  priests  of  Isis  wore  light  robes,  usually 
of  linen  (linum\  from  which  the  goddess  is  called  in  Ovid:  "Isis  ia 
linen  garments,  '  (Isis  linigera).     Byssus  is  a  kind  or  cotton. 

256.  SMALL  TONSURE.    The  ancient  Oriental  custom  of  shaving 
the  crown  of  the  head  was  enjoined  upon  the  priests  of  Isis.     Herod- 
otus, II,  37. 


QUINTUS    CLAUDIUS.  l6l 

"  Daughter!"  he  said,  as  he  drew  himself  up  again, 
**  your  dream  betokens  no  good.  A  fatality  is  hovering 
over  you  and  yours,  which  can  only  be  averted  by  the 
direct  intervention  of  the  goddess.  To  this  end  it  is 
needful  that  you  should,  for  the  next  four  weeks,  bring 
an  offering  daily  at  the  same  hour  as  to-night.  Gold,  in- 
cense and  roses  are  pleasing  in  the  eyes  of  the 
divinity." 

"  I  knew  it,  oh  !  I  knew  it,"  groaned  Cornelia.  "  Not 
for  nothing  has  my  heart  been  held  in  a  cold  and  death- 
like grasp !  But,  tell  me,  what  is  the  meaning  of  the 
desert  place,  of  the  shining  city,  and  of  my  lover's  ap- 
pearance ?" 

"  All  this  I  will  tell  you,  when  the  month  is  out. 
Trust  me,  daughter,  and  do  that  which  you  are  en- 
joined." 

"  Oh !  I  will  do  it !"  cried  Cornelia  ecstatically,  and 
she  pressed  the  priest's  hand  to  her  lips.  "  My  pearls, 
my  jewels — everything  will  I  sacrifice  joyfully,  if  only  I 
may  appease  Fate.  Ah !  my  lord,  you  could  never, 
never  guess  how  sad  my  soul  is!  Tell  me  only  one  thing, 
I  entreat  you,  does  the  danger  threaten  me  through  my 
beloved  Quintus  ?" 

The  priest  closed  his  eyes. 

"  I  dare  not  answer  you,"  he  said  with  an  effort. 
•*  My  part  is  only  to  announce  inevitable  doom ;  when 
I  am  still  permitted  to  hope  that  the  favor  of  the  all- 
gracious  mother  may  yet  prevail,  silence  is  the  first  duty 
of  my  office." 

"  Well  then,  I  must  submit.  Meanwhile — as  a  proof 
of  my  infinite  gratitude — accept  this  trifling  offering. 
Pray  for  me,  Barbillus,  intercede  for  me  with  the  almighty 
goddess." 

Vol.  I.  ii 


l62  QUINTUS    CLAUDir?. 

She  gave  him  a  costly  brooch  set  with  rubies,  emeralds 
and  chrysolites,*57  and  as  she  stood — her  eyes  cast  down 
in  maidenly  shyness — she  did  not  see  the  flash  of  greed 
that  sparkled  under  the  Asiatic's  long  fine  lashes,  giving 
place  immediately  to  the  lofty  and  dignified  expression, 
that  usually  characterized  him. 

"  Thanks,  my  daughter,"  he  said  graciously.  "  I  will 
offer  the  gifts  on  the  shrine  of  the  goddess.  And  you 
too,  my  child,  do  not  fail  to  entreat  the  immortals  that 
all  may  yet  be  well." 

He  gave  her  his  hand,  and  led  her  by  a  circuitous 
route"  back  again  to  the  anteroom,  where  Parmenio  stood 
in  a  corner,  as  upright  as  a  soldier  on  guard,  while  Chloc 
had  gone  to  sleep  in  her  comfortable  seat.  "  Come," 
said  Cornelia,  shaking  her  by  the  shoulder. 

Chloe  started  up. 

"  You  have  been  a  long  time,"  she  exclaimed.  "  It 
cannot  be  far  short  of  midnight." 

Just  as  the  three  were  about  to  step  out  into  the 
street  again,  a  female  form  flew  past  them,  and  close  be- 
hind, puffing  and  panting,  ran  a  man,  while  farther  away, 
where  the  streets  crossed,  they  heard  loud  laughter. 

"  Give  it  up,  the  roe  is  too  fleet  1"  cried  a  coarse  bass 
voice,  and  the  pursuer  turned  on  his  heel,  while  two 
other  men  slowly  came  to  meet  him.  All  three  were 
wrapped  in  thick  cloaks,958  with  the  hoods  pulled  down 
in  spite  of  the  heat.  For  a  second  Cornelia  hesitated ; 


257.  RUBIES,  EMERALDS  AND  CHRYSOLITES.     In  ancient  times 
the  chrysolite  ranked  next  to  the  diamond  among  precious  stones. 
The  finest  came  from  Scythia.     Next  to  the  emerald,  the  beryl  and 
opal  were  highly  esteemed.     (Plin.  Hist.  Nat.  XXXVII,  85.) 

258.  ALL    THREE    WERE    WRAPPED    IN    THICK    CLOAKS.      The 

lacerna,  the  outer  garment  worn  over  the  toga,  not  infrequently  had  a 
hood 


QUINTUS    CLAUDIUS.  163 

then  she  boldly  went  forth  and  walked  past  the  strange 
trio.  They  were  talking  together  in  an  undertone,  and 
yet  not  so  softly  but  that  Cornelia  could  hear  a  few 
words. 

"  By  Pluto!"  said  one.  "  There  goes  a  beauty  !  I 
saw  her  face,  as  the  boy's  lantern  lighted  it  up." 

"  Aphrodite  is  gracious,"  said  the  second,  "  to  give  us 
a  substitute  for  the  one  who  has  escaped.  I  am  just  in 
the  mood  for  an  adventure.  Let  us  follow  the  fair 
one." 

Cornelia  hastened  her  step,  but  before  she  had 
reached  the  main  road  she  was  surrounded. 

"  Well,  pretty  pigeon,"  a  harsh  voice  croaked  in  her 
ear.  "  Out  and  about  so  late !  And  where  are  you  fly- 
ing, if  I  am  allowed  to  ask  ?" 

Cornelia  was  at  once  aware,  that  .these  were  not 
highway  plunderers,  but  idle  adventurers,  and  evidently 
men  of  rank  and  position.  This  at  once  restored  her 
presence  of  mind,  and  she  walked  on  faster  than  ever. 
But  in  vain.  The  man  who  had  addressed  her,  a  stout 
figure  of  medium  height,  with  an  extraordinarily  confident 
and  swaggering  address,  came  close  up  to  her  and  laid 
his  left  hand  on  her  shoulder  to  detain  her.  Furious  in- 
dignation boiled  in  her  soul ;  she  shook  herself  free  and 
stood  still. 

"  Parmenio,"  she  said  resolutely,  "  as  you  love  your 
life,  do  as  I  bid  you — I,  the  niece  of  the  illustrious  Cor- 
nelius Cinna.  The  first  man  who  dares  to  lay  a  finger 
on  the  hem  of  this  robe — strike  him  dead." 

"That  can  be  done  in  no  time!"  cried  Parmenio, 
taking  the  bold  intruder  by  the  throat.  The  other  two 
started  back  as  if  struck  by  lightning. 

"  Mad  fool,  you  shall  die  on  the  cross !"  shrieked  the 


164 

man  he  had  seized,  directing  a  well-aimed  Mow  with  his 
fist.  The  slave  dropped  his  arm  in  terror.  There  was 
a  ring  of  such  wild  and  tiger-like  ferocity  in  the  harsh 
tones,  that  the  sturdy  nature  of  the  man  was  for  the  mo- 
ment paralyzed.  Cornelia  and  Chloe  meanwhile  had 
reached  the  high-road ;  Parmenio  caught  them  up  in  a 
few  strides,  and  they  reached  home  safely  under  cover 
of  the  darkness. 

"You  helpless  idiots!"  exclaimed  the  worsted  victim, 
feeling  at  his  throat.  "  What  do  you  mean  by  staring 
as  if  it  were  a  good  joke,  when  a  villain  throttles  me  ? 
You,  Clodianus,  have  I  loaded  you  with  every  honor  and 
heaps  of  gold,  that  you  should  leave  me  in  the  lurch  in 
this  fashion  ?  Take  that  for  your  loutish  cowardice !" 

And  Domitian  flew  at  him  with  the  fury  of  a  panther, 
and  struck  him  a  tremendous  blow  in  the  face.  Clodianus 
shrank  back. 

"  Forgive  me !"  he  stammered,  groaning  with  pain 
and  rage.  "  I  was  so  confounded  at  the  man's  dar- 
ing .  ..." 

"Away!  traitor.  —  Never  let  me  set  eyes  on  you 
again." 

"  Nay,  pardon,  my  lord!"  entreated  the  other,  forget- 
ting all  else  in  his  dread  of  losing  his  place.  "  Pardon 
and  grace,  my  lord  and  god,  I  beseech  thee.  Do  not 
withdraw  thy  favors  from  the  most  faithful  of  thy  ser- 
vants." 

"Yes,  my  lord  and  god,"  added  Parthenius,  the 
chamberlain.  "  Forgive  us,  for  nothing  but  reverence 
and  consternation  could  have  betrayed  us  into  such  a 
crime.  Do  not  let  it  spoil  a  jovial  night.  It  is  the  first 
time  for  long,  that  we  have  wandered  through  the  streets 
in  disguise,  and  shall  a  spiteful  accident  .  .  .  .  " 


QUINTUS   CLAUDIUS.  165 

"You  are  right,"  interrupted  the  Emperor.  "I  was  in 
the  best  of  humors  .  .  .  .  " 

"  Then  bid  it  return.  Even  his  moods  must  surely 
obey  the  sovereign,  whose  sway  extends  over  the  whole 
world 

"  Curse  it  all !  To  think  that  of  all  women  in  the 
world  .  .  .  Cinna's  niece?  ...  I  did  not  even  know,  that 
the  old  fool  had  a  niece.  Whose  house  had  she  come 
out  of?" 

"  That  of  Barbillus,  the  priest  of  Isis." 

"  Ah  ha !  One  of  the  praying  ninnies,  that  the  jug- 
gler knows  how  to  beguile  so  well !  Capital !  The  girl 
pleases  me.  I  should  like — if  it  were  o'nly  to  spite  the 
old  curmudgeon  —  I  hate  Cinna  like  poison.  He  wants 
a  lesson — he  always  carries  his  head  as  high  as  a  con- 
queror in  a  triumph.  As  if  it  were  not  in  my  power  to 
see  those  haughty  iron  features  flung  in  the  dust  at  my 
feet — Parthenius,  we  will  talk  of  that  again.  But  now, 
away  with  all  gloomy  reflections,  and  long  live  folly !" 

"  Thanks,  all  thanks !"  cried  Clodianus,  kissing  the 
sovereign's  hand. 

"Pull  the  hood  over  my  face,  so — now  my  cloak 
over  my  chin — and  we  will  go  back  into  the  streets.  I 
should  like  to  see  the  man,  who  can  discover  Caesar  in 
such  a  guise.  We  must  find  an  adventure  yet,  Par- 
thenius—  **>  some  mad  and  absurd  diversion,  if  it  were 
• 

259.   WE  MUST  FIND  AN  ADVENTURE  YET,  PARTHENIUS.    Such 

noctdrnal  rambles  incognito  were  not  at  all  unusual  among  aristocratic 
gentlemen.  The  incident  is  not  expressly  related  of  Domitian,  but  is 
told  of  Nero,  Suet.  AVr.  26,  where  the  author  says:  "As  soon  as  night 
came,  he  put  on  a  hat  or  cap,  went  to  the  taverns  and  roamed  about 
the  streets,  only  in  jest,  it  is  true,  but  not  without  working  mischief." 
Domitian's  encounter  with  the  slave  Parmenio  has  its  counterpart  in 
an  adventure  of  Nero,  who  once,  assailing  a  noble  lady,  was  almost 
beaten  to  death  by  her  husband.  (Suet.) 


1 66  QUINTUS   CLAUDIUS. 

only  that  the  lips,  which  pronounce  the  fate  of  nations, 
should  kiss  some  swarthy  negress."** 

He  led  the  way,  and  the  others  followed.  Domitian 
did  not  see  how  his  companions  clenched  their  fists 
under  their  cloaks,  nor  hear  the  bitter  curses,  hardly  ut- 
tered by  their  quivering  lips. 


CHAPTER  XIII. 

AT  the  hour  when  Cornelia  was  setting  out  on  her 
expedition  to  the  temple  of  I  sis,  Lucilia  and  Claudia, 
escorted  by  their  brother,  reached  home.  The  Flamen 
was  still  at  work  in  his  study;  his  grave  and  anxious 
face  could  be  seen  through  the  half-open  door,  bowed 
over  his  table.  Even  the  sound  of  steps,  which  rang 
through  the  silence  of  the  atrium,  did  not  interrupt  his 
busy  labors. 

Quintus  hesitated ;  he  would  gladly  have  gone  in  to 
embrace  his  father,  but  after  brief  reflection  he  decided 
not  to  interrupt  his  late  studies.  He  bid  his  sisters  good- 
night, waved  his  hand  affectionately  towards  the  motion- 
less figure  that  leaned  over  the  desk,  and  left  the  house. 
His  slaves  and  freedmen  were  waiting  for  him  outside. 

"  All  go  home !"  he  said  shortly. 

His  people  were  accustomed  to  his  moods,  and  no 
one  was  surprised.  But  Blepyrus  reminded  him,  with  a 
shudder,  of  the  attack  in  the  Cyprius  street 

"  Fear  nothing,"  replied  Quintus ;  "  I  am  armed. 


960.  SWARTHY  NEGRESS.    See  Suet.  Dom.  22,  where  it  is  stated 
that  the  emperor  now  and  then  associated  with  the  lowest  wenches. 


QU1NTUS    CLAUDIUS.  167 

Besides,  who  could  expect  to  meet  me  to-night  in  the 
streets." 

So  his  followers  went  on  their  way  through  theJwrunt 
Romanum,  which  was  still  crowded  with  people,  while 
Quintus  turned  northwards  across  the  Circus  Flamin- 
ius  •*'  and  the  Field  of  Mars.  He  soon  found  himself 
in  the  heart  of  that  city  of  marble,  which  Caesar  Augus- 
tus had  created  here  as  if  by  magic.  A  sombre  blue 
overarched  the  labyrinth  of  pillars  and  domes,  of  friezes 
and  statues,  of  groves  and  glades,  where  by  day  such 
motley  crowds  were  busy.  No  light  but  the  pale  glim- 
mer of  the  stars — whose  mist-veiled  brightness  gave 
warning  of  the  autumn  rains — fell  on  the  chaos  of  ill- 
defined  forms ;  the  moon  had  not  yet  risen.  Utter  soli- 
tude, utter  silence  prevailed.  The  listener  could  almost 
fancy  he  heard  the  rush  of  the  river  Tiber  past  the  piers 
of  the  Aelian  Bridge*6*  —  or  was  it  only  the  plash  of 
water  in  one  of  the  many  aqueducts  "^  which,  at  that 
time,  were  so  splendid  a  feature  of  the  city  ? — A  myste- 
rious dreamy  whisper ! 

Possessed  by  the  sense  of  this  stilly  solitude,  Quintus 
Claudius  went  on  till  nearly  on  the  shore  of  the  river. 
Under  the  avenues  of  trees  it  was  blackly  dark,  and  the 
air  came  up  chill  and  damp  from  the  stream ;  Quintus 
shivered  slightly.  Then  he  turned  off  in  the  direction  of 

261.  THE  CIRCUS  FLAMINIUS.     Located  in  the  ninth  district, 
of  the  same  name,  built  221  B.  C. 

262.  AELIAN  BRIDGE.    (Pans  Aelius,)  now  the  Angel  Bridge. 

263.  AQUEDUCTS.    The  magnificent  water-works  formed  one  of 
the  principal  ornaments  of  ancient  Rome.     ' '  The  mountain  springs, 
conveyed  for  miles  in  subterranean  pipes  or  over  huge  arches  to  the 
city,  poured  plashing  from  artificial   grottos,  spread  out  into  vast, 
richly  adorned  reservoirs,  or  mounted  in  the  jets  of  superb  fountains, 
whose  cool  breath  refreshed  and  purified  the  summer  air."     (Fried- 
lander,  I,  14.) 


1 68  QUINTUS    CLAUDIUS. 

the  Via  Lata — the  Broad  Way,  now  the  Corso.  He 
did  not  know  what  mysterious  influence  had  driven  him 
out  into  the  darkness  and  silence.  He  had  felt  as 
though  he  must  fly  from  the  vast  mass  of  Rome,  from  its 
numberless  market-places,  its  proud  temples  and  basilicas 
— and  now  he  was  seized  with  homesickness  for  the 
familiar,  beloved  and  hated  hive  of  two  million  human 
souls.  He  shook  himself.  All  that  was  most  dissatisfied 
and  contradictory  in  his  nature  rose  clearly  before  his 
conscience.  It  was  exactly  in  this  way,  that  he  had 
worked  through  all  the  systems  of  philosophy  in  turn — 
now  flying  from  what  at  first  he  had  eagerly  run  after, 
and  now  craving  for  what  he  had  but  just  cast  from  him ; 
one  day  an  enthusiastic  disciple  of  Epicurus,  and  the  next 
a  follower  of  the  Stoics.  But  in  neither  of  these  views  of 
the  world  could  he  find  rest  and  refreshment  for  his 
truth-seeking  soul.  Zeno's  contempt  for  all  the  joys  of 
life  seemed  artificial  to  his  ardent  and  poetic  fancy,  while 
the  method  and  practice  of  Epicurus,  ingeniously  wreath- 
ing the  mouth  of  the  pit  with  roses  to  cover  the  depths 
below,  stirred  in  him  an  irresistible  impulse  to  sound 
those  depths.  That  old  Sphinx  we  call  Life  offered  him 
a  fresh  riddle  at  every  step,  while  forever  denying  all 
/possibility  of  answering  them.  Thus,  by  degrees,  he 
}iad  wandered  into  that  moral  Via  Lata — that  broad 
way  along  which  almost  every  educated  Roman  of  that 
day  walked,  for  better  or  for  worse ;  that  path  of  scep- 
tical indifference,  which  made  short  work  of  every  meta- 
physical belief,  and  lived  so  literally  from  day  to  day. 
Only  a  few  men,  like  Titus  Claudius  the  Flamen,  clung 
<to  the  old  Latin  religion  and  fulfilled  its  precepts  in 
their  highest  sense,  and  so  had  effected  a  compromise 
with  the  needs  of  the  times ;  most  men  looked  down 


QUINTUS   CLAUDIUS.  169 

with  contempt  on  the  myths  of  popular  belief  without, 
however,  being  able  to  replace  them  by  anything  better. 
Nay,  even  the  women  of  the  educated  class  found  no 
satisfaction  in  the  worship  they  had  inherited;  they 
turned  in  crowds  to  the  mystical  rites  of  the  old  Egyp- 
tian goddess  Isis,  to  whom  a  number  of  magnificent 
temples  had  been  erected  so  early  as  at  the  time  of  the 
first  Caesars.  Quintus  himself  had  drank  of  that  shallow 
stream,  but  had  found  no  comfort  in  it. 

The  shortest  way  to  the  house  of  Thrax  Barbatus 
would  have  been  across  the  Alta  Semita  "**  and  past  the 
temple  on  the  Quirinal.  But  Quintus  made  a  detour ; 
after  his  late  experiences  he  was  anxious  to  avoid  the  less 
deserted  streets ;  and  not  merely  because  fate  had  made 
him  the  accomplice  in  a  deed,  which  by  the  laws  of 
Rome  was  punished  with  the  utmost  severity;. he  could 
now  no  longer  doubt  that  Eurymachus,  Thrax  Barbatus 
and  Euterpe  were  attached  to  the  sect  of  Nazarenes, 
and  just  at  this  very  time  the  most  stringent  measures 
were  in  contemplation  to  suppress  the  disciples  of  the 
Nazarene.  Indeed,  if  his  father's  views  met  with  appro- 
bation in  the  Senate,  nothing  short  of  a  regular  persecu- 
tion must  ensue.  In  that  case  his  share  in  the  escape 
and  rescue  of  a  Christian  slave  might  very  likely  be  con- 
strued as  treason  against  the  safety  of  the  state ;  and 
though  Quintus  felt  no  fears  as  to  what  might  be  the  is- 
sue for  himself,  the  thought  of  his  father's  grief  filled  him 
•with  anxiety. 

He  wrapped  himself  more  closely  in  his  ample  cloak, 
and  looked  cautiously  about  him  as  he  hastened  along 
the  northwestern  declivity  of  the  Quirinal  hill.  A  com- 

264.  ALTA  SKMITA  corresponds  with  tolerable  accuracy  to  the 
.modern  VM  di  Pvrta  Pia. 


1 70  QUINTUS   CLAUDIUS. 

pany  of  the  city-guard  marched  past  him  with  an 
echoing  tread,  the  smoke  of  their  torches"65  blew  hot  in 
his  face,  but  no  one  noticed  or  recognized  him.  The 
streets  grew  narrower  and  more  tortuous,  the  houses 
more  squalid,  the  whole  neighborhood  was  visibly  ple- 
beian. At  last  he  reached  the  old  wall,"66  built  —  so 
tradition  said  —  by  Servius  Tullius;  this  quarter,  in 
the  time  of  the  emperors,  was  of  the  worst  repute 
in  all  Rome.  Quintus  stole  cautiously  along  under 
the  wall,  for  a  few  drinking-shops  were  still  open  and 
busy.  Wretched  girls  from  Syria  and  Gades  here  plied 
their  shameful  trade  by  the  light  of  flickering  clay 
lamps,  while  wrinkled  and  watery-eyed  old  hags  poured 
the  muddy  wine  of  Veii"*7  out  of  red  jugs.  Drunken 
men  lay  snoring  under  the  tables,  and  coarse  songs 
were  roared  out  from  hoarse  throats,  half-drowned, 
however,  by  the  uproarious  shouts  of  two  fellows  who 
were  playing  the  favorite  game  of  odd  and  even36* 
with  copper  coins. 

Suddenly  the  noise  became  three  times  louder  than 
ever;  there  was  a  wild  uproar,  and  piercing  shrieks. 
The  gamblers  had  fallen  out  over  their  petty  stakes. 
After  a  short  squabble  one  had  drawn  his  knife  on  the 

265.  TORCHES.    Street  lamps  were  unknown  in  ancient  times,  as 
well  as  throughout  nearly  the  whole  of  the  middle  ages. 

266.  THE  OLD  WALL.     (Agger  Servii  Tullii)  extended  from  the 
Porta  Collina  to  the  Porta  Esquilina.     The  neighboring  region  was 
considered  the  most  corrupt  in  all  Rome,     The  "  wenches  of  the  city 
wall"  were  often  mentioned.     (See  for  instance,  Mart.  Ep.  Ill,  82,  2.1 

267.  THE  MUDDY  WINE  OF  VEIL   The  wine  made  in  the  neigh- 
borhood of  the  little  city  of  Veil,  (northwest  of  Rome)  was  little  prized. 
(See  Mart.  I,  103,  9,  where  the  red  Veian  is  called  thick  and  full  of 
lees.) 

268.  GAME  OF  ODD  AND  EVEN.    This  game  of  chance,  which  is 
still  very  common,  was  extremely  popular  under  the  name  ludtre  far 
imfar.    The  opponent  had  to  guess  whether  an  odd  or  even  number 
of  gold  pieces  or  other  objects  was  held  in  the  closed  hand. 


QUINTUS   CLAUDIUS.  iyi 

other  and  stabbed  him  in  the  side.  The  wounded  man 
fell,  howling,  on  the  ground  and  the  assassin  took  to  his 
heels.  But  the  dancing  girls,  heedless  of  the  catastrophe, 
began  at  once  to  rattle  their  castanets  once  more,  and 
sway  and  whirl  in  their  disgraceful  pantomine. 

Quintus  hurried  on,  filled  with  loathing.  Never  had 
the  heartless  turmoil  of  the  great  capital  seemed  so  hide- 
ous as  at  this  moment,  in  this  obscure  lair  of  humanity. 
Was  not  this  squalid  tragedy  a  reflection  of  all  Rome — 
of  the  vast  and  mighty  metropolis,  with  all  its  crimes, 
its  contempt  for  the  suffering  of  others,  its  mad  lust  of 
pleasure?  It  was  but  a  short  while  since  he  had  wit- 
nessed the  very  same  scene,  with  more  splendid  surround- 
ings and  distinguished  actors.  For,  had  the  events  in 
Lycoris's  garden  been  at  all  less  horrible  ?  Had  not  a 
man  lain  there  too,  bleeding  and  dying,  while  a  prosti- 
tute— aye!  for  the  brilliant  and  elegant  Gaul  was 
nothing  else — had  bewitched  a  heartless  crowd  by  her 
fascinations?  There,  no  doubt,  were  all  the  splen- 
dor and  luxury  of  wealth — here  the  foul  brutality  of 
misery;  but,  at  the  bottom,  they  were  the  self-same 
thing,  at  the  bottom  each  was  a  sign,  easy  to  read,  of 
degeneracy,  decrepitude  and  decay. 

And  suddenly  Quintus  felt  transported,  as  it  were, 
from  the  life  which  surrounded  him,  into  a  new  and  un- 
familiar atmosphere  and  light ;  and,  strangest  thing  of 
all,  that  light  seemed  to  shine  forth  from  a  pale  face  that 
he  had  seen  but  twice  in  his  life ;  from  the  face  of  the 
humble  and  despised  slave,  who  had  so  loftily  smiled 
down  on  his  persecutors  and  executioners.  Could  it  be 
that  such  a  thing  existed  as  some  supernatural  magic  ? 
Or  was  it  only  admiration  for  the  fortitude  of  a  heroic 
nature  ? 


172  QUINTUS   CLAUDIUS. 

It  was  about  midnight,  when  Quintus  readied  the 
house  the  flute-player  had  described  to  him.  It  was  one 
of  those  tall,  ill-constructed  houses,*69  built  by  speculators 
to  let  in  floors,  and  which  abounded  in  the  poorer  parts 
of  the  city  to  the  great  risk  of  the  public.  Fairly  sub- 
stantial as  to  the  ground  floor,  story  towered  over  story 
till  the  topmost  floor  consisted  of  a  single  room,  hardly 
better  than  a  booth  built  of  boards  at  a  fair.  The  walls 
were  cracked  and  sprung  in  many  places,  and  here  and 
there,  where  the  wretched  structure  threatened  to  fall, 
the  inhabitants  had  tried  to  prop  them  with  beams,  thus 
adding  to  their  unsafe  appearance. 

The  musician  met  the  young  man  at  the  entrance  ; 
ninety  steps — which,  but  for  Euterpe's  little  lamp,  he 
•could  never  have  mounted  without  mishap — led  him  to 
her  habitation. 

"  Stop  here !"  said  Euterpe,  as  Quintus  was  about  to 
go  up  to  the  topmost  floor.  "  Thrax  Barbatus  does  not 
live  quite  under  the  tiles;'"70  and  as  she  spoke  she 
knocked  at  a  door.  Thrax  Barbatus  opened  it,  looking 
calm,  almost  cheerful. 

Quintus  entered  a  room,  of  which  the  neat  and  com- 
fortable aspect  quite  delighted  him.  A  three-branched 
lamp  hung  from  the  low  ceiling ;  the  walls  were  neatly 

269.  ILL-CONSTRUCTED  HOUSES.  Every  well-to-do  citizen  of 
ancient  Rome  had  his  own  house.  The  great  mass  of  poor  people 
lived  in  rented  dwellings,  built  by  unprincipled  speculators  with  un- 
precedented carelessness,  on  the  principle  "cheap  and  bad,"  yet 
nevertheless  leased  at  high  prices.  The  fall  of  such  houses  was 
therefore  no  rare  occurrence,  as  is  proved  by  the  constant  association 
of  the  words  "  fire  and  fall"  (intendia  acruiitae) — catastrophes  which 
Strabo  (V,  3,  7)  characterizes  as  constant.  (See  also  Senec.  Ep.  XC, 
43,  Cat.  XXIII.  9;  Juv.  Sat.  III.  7.) 

370.  UNDER  THE  TILES,  (sub  tt?ulis.)  was  a  common  phrase  for 
the  upper  story.  (See  Suet.  Gramm.  9.  where  it  is  said  ot  the  poor 
schoolmaster  Orbilius,  that  in  his  old  age  he  lived  "  under  the  tiles.") 


QUINTUS    CLAUDIUS.  173 

colored  of  a  reddish  brown ;  small,  but  beautifully-exe- 
cuted paintings  of  flowers  and  fruit,  showed  brightly  and 
prettily  against  this  background.  The  floor  was  covered 
by  a  carpet,  somewhat  worn,  but  so  handsome  as  to  tell 
of  better  days  in  the  past.  A  table,  a  chair,  a  few  low 
seats  and  a  small  chest  of  dark  oak  composed  the  furni- 
ture— humble,  no  doubt,  in  the  eyes  of  a  Roman  of 
rank,  but  still  much  better  than  Quintus  had  expected 
after  climbing  to  such  a  height. 

"  You  are  welcome  to  your  servant's  house,"  said  the 
old  man,  to  whom  Quintus  gave  his  hand.  "  We  have 
looked  for  you  with  longing.  I  was  almost  afraid  you 
might  have  repented  .  .  .  .  " 

"You  had  my  word  that  I  should  come,"  said 
Quintus. 

He  sat  down  on  a  wooden  bench,  and  Thrax  Barba- 
tus  went  to  a  door  at  the  other  end  of  the  room,  which 
he  opened  and  called  out :  "  Glauce." 

In  a  few  minutes  a  young  girl  came  into  the  room. 
Her  face  was  sweet  and  pleasing,  but  bore  traces  of 
weeping ;  her  brown  hair  fell  loosely  over  her  shoulders, 
and  her  tunic  was  ungirdled.  Worn  out  with  the  anxiety 
and  grief  of  the  last  few  days,  she  had  sunk  on  her  bed 
and  fallen  asleep,  and  now,  standing  in  the  door-way, 
dazzled  by  the  light  and  confused  by  the  presence  of  the 
noble  stranger,  she  was  a  pretty  picture  of  maidenly 
bashfulness  and  timidity. 

"  Come,  my  sweet  child,  and  welcome  the  protector 
of  Eurymachus,"  Thrax  began  in  caressing  tones;  "this 
noble  youth  is  Quintus  Claudius,  the  friend  of  the  help- 
less. He  will  save  the  persecuted  victim,  and  obtain  his 
freedom  from  Stephanus,  and  procure  him  Caesar's 
pardon." 


174  QUINTUS   CLAUDIUS. 

Glauce  stood  motionless  for  a  moment ;  a  faint  flush 
tinged  her  cheeks.  Then,  weeping  loudly,  she  flung  her- 
self into  her  father's  arms  and  hid  her  face  on  his  shoul- 
der. Euterpe,  meanwhile,  had  set  a  wine-jar  and  a  dish 
of  fruit  on  the  table. 

"  It  is  but  little,  but  heartily  offered,"  she  said  smil- 
ing, "  and  after  your  late  walk  you  will  not  refuse  such 
slight  refreshment." 

Then,  taking  a  pine-log  from  the  hearth-place,  she 
struck  the  floor  three  times  at  short  intervals. 

She  listened — all  was  still. 

"  He  is  asleep,"  she  said  to  Thrax,  who  had  soothed 
his  daughter's  sobs,  and  now  took  a  seat  by  the  brightly- 
lighted  table. 

"  He  has  earned  it !"  said  Glauce. 

Euterpe  repeated  the  knocking,  and  this  time  with 
better  success.  Some  one  could  be  heard  moving  below. 
In  two  minutes  the  stairs  creaked,  and  a  weather-tanned 
figure  of  middle  height  cautiously  entered  the  room. 
Euterpe  met  him  and  respectfully  introduced  him  to 
Quintus.  "  This,  my  lord,  is  my  husband,"  she  said 
modestly.  "  He  too  had  a  share  in  the  bold  attempt  in 
the  park,  for  he  has  the  greatest  reverence  for  Eury- 
machus." 

"To  be  sure — I  recognize  you!  It  was  you,  who 
offered  the  fugitive  your  arm  to  help  him  up  the  narrow 
path  to  the  top  of  the  ridge." 

Diphilus  gazed  astonished  into  the  young  man's 
face. 

"  It  is  true,  my  lord,"  he  said  hesitatingly.  "  But 
how  should  you  know  that  ?" 

"Oh!  I  was  nigh  at  hand.  If  I  had  come  forward,  I 
could  easily  have  stopped  the  way." 


QUINTUS   CLAUDIUS.  175 

Diphilus  sank  on  to  the  seat  by  the  side  of  Thrax 
-with  an  expression  of  unconcealed  astonishment,  fixing 
his  eyes  on  the  young  man's  face,  as  if  to  stamp  the  fea- 
tures of  this  mysterious  ally  indelibly  on  his  memory. 

Thrax  Barbatus  now  solemnly  extended  his  bony 
hand  over  the  table,  like  a  speaker  beginning  his  dis- 
course. Then  he  said  in  a  low  voice : 

"  Above  all,  my  friends,  remember  that  in  Rome 
every  stone  has  eyes  and  ears,271  and  the  thin  walls  of  a 
lodging-house  are  as  good  as  a  spider's  web  to  the  spy." 

The  flute-player  drew  closer  to  her  husband's  side. 

"  It  is  only  too  true,"  she  said  with  a  sigh,  "  I  could 
almost  have  sworn  .  .  .  . " 

"  What  ?"  asked  Diphilus. 

"  That  our  pursuers  are  on  our  traces  already."  "^ 
•  "How?" 

"  Nay,  it  is  only  my  feeling  about  it.  I  am  always 
in  a  state  of  mortal  terror." 

Thrax  Barbatus  shook  his  head  doubtfully.  "  Your 
fears  are  unfounded,"  he  said  emphatically.  "  Not  a 
man  in  Rome  knows  of  our  intimate  relations  with 
Eurymachus.  My  poor  son,  who  left  his  home  when 
he  was  hardly  more  than  a  boy  and  did  not  return  for 

271.  REMEMBER  THAT  IN  ROME  EVERY  STONE  HAS  EYES  AND 
EARS.     See  Tacit.  Ann.,  XI,  27,  where  Rome  is  called  a  "city  that 
hears  everything,   and  keeps  silence  about  nothing."     Seneca  too 
(De  tranq.  an.  XII)  is  scandalized  at  the  eaves-dropping  which  is 
common  in  Rome.    Juvenal  says  an  aristocratic  Roman  can  have  no 
secrets  at   all,  for:    "  Serui  ut  taceant,  jumenta  loquentur,  et  canis  et 
posies  et  marmora."     "  Even  if  the  slaves  are  discreet,  the  horses  talk, 
and  the  house-dog,  and  the  posts  and  marble  walls.     Close  the  win- 
dows and  cover  every  chink  with  hangings,  yet   the  next  day  the 
people  in  every  tavern  will  be  discussing  the  master's  doings."  (Juv. 
Sat.  IX,  102-109.) 

272.  OUR   PURSUERS  ARE   ON   OUR  TRACES   ALREADY.       There 

were  persons  in  Rome,  who  made  a  business  of  catching  runaway 


176  QUINTUS  ci 

twenty  ye.ir<.  when  his  own  father  scarcely  recognized 
him  —  no,  Euterpe,  the  still  face  of  the  dead  will  betray 
nothing."  He  passed  his  hand  over  his  eyes. 

"  I  know,"  replied  the  flute-player.     "  And  yet " 

"  What  is  it  ?"  asked  the  old  man  glancing  hurriedly 
round. 

"Alas!"  said  Euterpe,  "I  am  afraid  I  was  rash. 
Scold  me,  but  I  could  not  help  it ;  when  I  heard  that 
Philippus  had  been  buried  in  the  ground  set  apart  for 
criminals  and  outcasts,*73  my  heart  was  fairly  broken,  and 
I  vowed  that  his  grave  should  not  be  left  bare  of  some 
pious  offering.  So  this  evening,  at  the  end  of  the  first 
vigil,  I  stole  out  to  the  Esquiline  hill,  carrying  a  conse- 
crated palm-branch  hidden  in  my  dress  to  lay  on  his 
grave.  I  found  it  after  a  short  search,  laid  the  palm 
upon  it,  said  a  short  prayer,  and  came  away.  Suddenly 
I  heard  steps  and  voices;  I  hurried  on,  but  they  followed 
me,  and  as  chance  would  have  it  I  met  a  Htter  with 
torch-bearers.  The  light  fell  full  on  my  face,  though  I 
turned  away.  At  the  same  moment  I  heard  one  of  the 
men,  who  followed  me,  begin  to  run.  Then  I  was  seized 
with  mortal  terror;  by  the  temple  of  Isis  in  the  Via 
Moneta  *?*  I  turned  off  to  the  left,  and  ran  so  fast  into 
the  next  street,  that  I  could  hardly  get  out  of  the  way  of 
two  women,  who  were  at  that  instant  coming  out.  The 
darkness  protected  me ;  I  escaped  and  got  home  by  a 
roundabout  way.  If  the  men  who  followed  me  were 


273.  GROUND  SET  APART  FOR  CRIMINALS  AND  OUTCASTS. 
The  usual  mode  of  conducting  a  funeral  under  the  emperors  was  to 
burn  the  corpse  on  a  pyre  (vagus);  the  original  custom  of  interment 
had  become  more  rare.     Slaves  and  criminals  were  buried  on  the 
Esquiline  Hill. 

274.  THE  VIA  MONETA  led  from  the  Flavian  amphitheatre  to 
the  Porta  Querquetulana. 


QUINTUS   CLAUDIUS.  177 

the  city-watch,  it  does  not  matter.  But  supposing  they 
were  some  of  Stephanus*  people ;  they  all  knew  me  at 
Baiae,  where  I  often  played  before  their  master.  Oh ! 
tell  me,  most  illustrious  patron,  what  shall  we  do  if  my 
fears  are  realized  ?" 

These  words  were  addressed  to  Quintus,  for  she  saw 
that  Thrax  Barbatus  was  deeply  touched  by  her  loving 
attention  to  the  dead,  and  she  wished  to  escape  being 
thanked. 

Quintus  Claudius,  notwithstanding  his  strong  sym- 
pathy with  Thrax  and  Eurymachus,  could  not  feel  quite 
at  his  ease  in  his  new  and  strange  position.  The  idea 
that  he — the  member  of  a  senatorial  family,  the  son  of 
one  of  the  noblest  houses  in  the  empire — should  make 
common  cause  with  artizans,  freedmen  and  slaves,  was 
so  preposterous  in  the  state  of  society  then  existing,  that 
even  a  lofty  and  magnanimous  nature  required  time  to 
enable  it  to  subdue  the  sense  of  strangeness  and  even  of 
repulsion.  After  some  hesitation  he  addressed  himself 
to  Thrax,  asking  him  —  as  though  half  conscious  of  a 
wish  to  justify  himself  in  his  own  eyes : 

"  And  will  you  answer  for  the  perfect  innocence  of 
Eurymachus,  on  your  solemn  oath  and  pledge  ?" 

"  My  lord,"  said  Barbatus,  "  he  is  as  innocent  and 
pure  as  the  sun  in  the  sky.  I  will  swear  it  by  the  soul 
of  my  dead  son !  Ah,  you  do  not  know  his  persecutor, 
the  ruthless  Stephanus — if  you  did,  you  would  have  no 
doubts  in  the  matter.  The  crimes  that  man  has  com- 
mitted during  the  last  ten  years,  cry  to  God  for  ven- 
geance like  the  blood  of  the  massacred  lamb  of  Bethle- 
hem !  I,  as  you  see  me,  have  been  the  victim  of  that 
wretch !" 

"  You  too  ?    How  did  that  happen?" 

*  w.  /.  i  • 


1 78  QUINTUS  CLAUDIUS. 

"In  the  way  which  might  be  called  'the  way  of 
Stephanus.'  •*  I  had  inherited  a  little  fortune  from  my 
father,  and  had  laid  it  out  at  interest ;  I  intended  to  save 
it  and  add  a  little  to  it  for  Glauce,  for  I  could  earn  my 
living  as  a  smith.  You  know,  my  lord,  how  badly  free 
labor  is  paid  in  Rome ;  however,  no  pressure  of  want 
had  ever  made  me  touch  that  little  dowry.  I  only  spent 
the  interest  even  during  five  or  six  years,  to  make  a 
comfortable  home  for  Glauce  and  give  her  some  educa- 
tion. Well,  one  day  Stephanus  produced  a  forged  will, 
by  which  the  money  was  left  to  him  under  some  trivial 
pretext.  He  was  a  beginner  in  those  days  and  tried  his 
hand  on  small  game,  but  since  then  he  has  grown  greedy 
and  gorges  the  fortunes  of  men  of  higher  rank.  How- 
ever, everything  turned  out  as  was  to  be  feared — false 
witnesses,  cunning  lawyers  and  bribed  judges — I  lost 
everything  I  possessed." 

"  Atrocious !"  exclaimed  the  young  noble.  "  And 
did  no  one  come  forward  to  stand  up  for  you  ?  Did  no 
young  advocate  defend  the  truth  for  truth's  sake  ?" 

"  No  one.  Oh !  Stephanus  went  to  work  more 
craftily  than  you  fancy.  He  bribed  those,  who  might 
have  opposed  him,  with  imaginary  legacies  from  the  tes- 
tator— some  he  frightened  with  mysterious  threats — 
but  in  short,  he  has  grown  rich,  a  perfect  Croesus,  and 
all  by  forged  wills.  Hundreds  of  his  victims  have  per- 
ished in  despair  and  misery.  He  shuns  neither  violence 


275.  THE  WAY  OP  STEPHANUS.  Sec  (Suet/Xw.  17.)  where  it 
is  related  of  Stephanus,  that  he  was  accused  of  embezzling  money. 
That  such  incredible  forgeries  of  wills  really  occurred,  is  frequently 
explicitly  stated  by  the  ancient  authors.  Phny  (Ep.  II,  ii.)  gives  an 
amazing  example  of  the  insolence  with  which  influential  persons  con- 
ducted their  bribery. 


QUINTUS   CLAUDIUS.  179 

nor  treachery ;  and  he  sins  unpunished,  for  he  has  pow- 
erful supporters.  It  is  said  that  Parthenius,  the  cham- 
berlain   " 

"  Enough !"  interrupted  Quintus.  "  His  hour  too 
will  come;  it  would  be  well  for  your  safety,  no  doubt, 
that  it  should  strike  soon." 

"  We  are  not  idle,"  said  Glauce.  "  My  father  has 
now  found  what  he  long  hoped  for  in  vain;  a  just 
and  learned  patron,  whose  liberality  shrinks  from  no 
sacrifice.  You  must  have  heard  of  Cneius  Afranius  ?" 

"  Cneius  Afranius  ?  I  know  him  very  well,  and  have 
met  him  repeatedly  in  the  house  of  Cornelius  Cinna. 
He  is  making  himself  talked  about  .  .  .  .  " 

"  He  has  spoken  in  the  Forum  five  or  six  times," 
interrupted  Thrax  with  eager  warmth.  "  His  success 
was  splendid.  —  Ah!  and  what  a  feeling  soul!  What  a 
heart  overflowing  with  noble  unselfishness.  Merely  for 
the  sake  of  right  and  enthusiasm  for  the  truth,  he  is  inde- 
fatigable in  his  attacks  on  Stephanus,  often  as  that  cun- 
ning fox  has  succeeded  in  parrying  the  stroke.  Twice, 
when  Afranius  was  on  the  very  point  of  opening  his  case 
in  due  form,  some  inscrutable  power  has  intervened  to 
stop  him.  —  However,  if  it  is  true,  that  dropping  water 
wears  away  a  stone,  even  Stephanus  must  some  day 
come  to  grief." 

Quintus  sat  silent  for  some  time ;  he  seemed  to  wish 
to  reflect  at  leisure  on  all  he  had  heard,  and  no  one  dis- 
turbed him. 

"  My  friend,"  he  said  at  last :  "  I  too  am  ready  to 
help  you  in  my  way,  as  honestly  as  Cneius  Afranius — 
but  first  tell  me  one  thing.  Is  Eurymachus  still  in 
Rome  ?" 

"  In  the  neighborhood." 


l8o  QUINTUS  CLAUDIUS. 

"  And  you  will  not  send  him  farther  off  as  speedily 
as  possible  ?" 

"It  is  impossible,  my  lord,"  said  the  old  man  sadly. 
"Stephanus  has  set  every  means  to  work.  Hundreds 
of  watchmen  and  slave-catchers  are  on  the  alert; 
notices  on  the  walls  offer  large  sums  for  the  apprehen- 
sion of  the  fugitive;  even  appeals  have  been  made  to 
the  Vestal  virgins*7*  to  pronounce  their  ban,  so  that  he 
may  be  spellbound  within  Rome.  In  short,  discovery 
would  be  certain  .  .  .  .  " 

"  It  is  so  indeed,  my  lord,"  added  Diphilus.  "  And 
do  you  know  why  Slephanus  is  making  this  mighty  stir  ? 
Eurymachus  knows  some  secret  of  his  life,  some  hide- 
ous crime,  worse  than  all  the  rest  he  has' ever  committed. 
And  it  was  for  that  reason,  that  even  on  the  scene  of  his 
execution  Eurymachus  was  gagged." 

"  And  moreover,"  added  the  old  man,  "  in  his  flight 
that  night  he  wounded  his  foot  badly.  He  could  not 
leave  his  hiding-place  at  present,  even  if  he  wished  it." 

"  And  what  can  I  possibly  do  for  you  in  these  cir- 
cumstances ?" 

"  Procure  his  pardon,  my  lord !"  cried  Glauce,  lifting 
her  hands  imploringly. 

11  Or  a  mild  punishment,"  added  Diphilus. 

"  Perhaps,"  Thrax  went  on,  "  you  might  even  be  able 
to  help  Afranius,by  removing  some  of  the  obstacles  which 
hinder  the  course  of  justice.  Your  illustrious  father — 
cannot  he  do  anything  he  chooses  in  such  matters  ?  And 
will  not  his  generosity  pardon  Eurymachus  for  escaping, 


376.  THE  VESTAL  VIRGINS.  It  was  believed,  that  the  vestal 
virgins  possessed  the  power  of  detaining  runaway  slaves,  by  certain 
•pells,  within  the  city  limits. 


QUINTUS   CLAUDIUS.  l8l 

if  you  are  his  advocate  ?  I  know,  of  course,  that  Titus 
Claudius  is  the  foe  of  the  common  herd ;  often,  indeed, 
he  has  exercised  the  sternest  severity  towards  guilty 
slaves ;  still,  he  is  wise  and  far-seeing — at  fitting  times 
he  can  be  merciful  too  .  ..." 

"  I  will  see  what  can  be  done." 

"  God's  blessing  rest  on  your  head !" 

Quintus  looked  keenly  at  the  speaker. 

"Listen,"  he  said  after  a  short  pause;  "am  I  mis- 
taken, or  do  you  belong — as  appearances  would  indicate 
—  to  the  sect  of  Nazarenes?" 

.  "  My  lord,"  said  Barbatus,  "  in  speaking  to  the  gen- 
erous preserver  of  our  Eurymachus,  I  may  surely  forget 
that  prudence  compels  us  to  keep  our  religion  a  secret. 
Yes — I  will  freely  confess  it,  I  am  one  of  those  highly- 
favored  ones,  whom  the  people  designate  as  Nazarenes. 
We  are  Christians — I  and  mine — for  so  we  call  our- 
selves after  the  founder  of  our  sacred  religion,  who  suf- 
fered death  under  Pontius  Pilate.  Diphilus  and  Euterpe 
too  have  received  baptism,  the  act  of  dedication  which 
seals  our  reception  under  the  covenant  of  faith.  We  are 
Christians,  my  lord,  and  no  power  on  earth  will  ever 
lead  us  back  to  the  altars  of  your  idolatrous  worship. 
Caesar  may  revive  the  times  of  Nero,  he  may  stigmatize 
as  criminals  humble  and  innocent  beings,  whose  only 
ambition  is  righteousness ;  he  can  never  stay  the  spread 
of  the  Kingdom  of  Heaven.  Nay,  indeed,  most  noble 
youth,  but  I  tell  you  that  every  drop  of  blood  that  is 
spilt,  raises  up  new  witnesses  to  the  eternal  and  divine 
truth  of  our  belief." 

The  old  man  ceased.  His  withered  cheek  was 
flushed. 

"  Well,"  said  Quintus,  looking  down.     "  But  tell  me 


X&2  QUINTUS   CLAUDIUS. 

one  thing ;  does  not  your  creed  contain  the  dangerous 
doctrine  of  equality  ?  Does  it  not  remove  the  ancient 
landmarks  between  the  high-born  and  the  lowly, 
between  the  freeman  and  the  slave?  Does  it  not  aim  at 
the  subversion  of  society  and  the  destruction  of  the  ex- 
isting state  of  things  ?" 

"  Yes,  my  lord ;  we  do  aim  at  the  destruction  of  all 
that  must  inevitably  fall,  if  the  Kingdom  of  the  Lord  is 
to  come.  We  teach  the  equality,  freedom  and  brother- 
hood of  all  men  born  of  woman.  But  what  is  this  but 
a  return  to  primitive  truth,  to  undisguised  nature? 
Nothing  can  oppose  us,  but  the  power  of  custom  or  of 
self-interest ;  God  himself,  and  all  that  is  best  in  man,  is 
for  us.  Where  and  when  did  a  higher  power  ever  give 
you  chosen  ones  a  right  to  cast  your  brethren  into  fetters? 
Where  is  it  written  :  *  You  are  the  master,  and  this  other 
man,  who  feels  joy  and  pain  as  you  yourself  do,  is  your 
slave  and  shall  bow  down  to  you  ?'  It  sounds  bold,  I 
know,  O  Quintus ;  but  I  ask  you :  What  essential  dif- 
ference is  there  between  the  son  of  the  Claudia  family 
and  the  hapless  Eurymachus  ?  That  which  sets  you 
above  him  is  purely  fortuitous ;  that  which  constitutes 
your  equality,  is  the  divine  will  and  act  of  God.  Or  do 
you  really  believe,  that  a  slave  can  never  be  wiser, 
cleverer,  more  virtuous,  courageous,  and  generous  than 
the  offspring  of  a -senatorial  house?  Supposing  you  had 
been  changed  in  the  cradle,  do  you  imagine  that  all  the 
world  would  have  read  the  slave's  humble  birth  stamped 
on  his  brow  ?  Nay,  noble  youth !  The  distance  between 
you,  that  looks  like  a  gulf,  is  merely  an  artificial  division, 
an  illusory  effect  of  fancy,  which  must  vanish  before  the 
light  of  the  new  revelation.  We,  even  we,  the  sons  of 
the  people — even  those  who  are  bondsmen  and  slaves, 


QUINTUS   CLAUDIUS.  183 

who  toil  and  suffer  in  your  factories  and  prisons'77 — all, 
all  are  alike  called  to  be  the  sons  of  God.  *  Come  unto 
me,  all  ye  that  labor  and  are  heavy  laden,'  saith  the 
Saviour,  '  and  I  will  give  you  rest.'  Yea,  and  his  call 
shall  not  be  in  vain.  Thousands  and  thousands  answer 
to  it  *• —  In  remotest  Asia,  in  Egypt,  in  Greece,  nay, 
even  in  Hispania  and  Lusitania,  whole  armies  of  mar- 
tyrs are  suffering  for  the  cross — our  symbol  and  token, 
to  you  Romans  an  ignominious  instrument  of  death, 
but  to  us  the  emblem  of  hope  and  promise ! 

"And  you  too — the  rich,  the  noble,  the  sovereigns 
of  the  world — do  you  need  no  comfort,  no  healing,  no 
saving  light  ?  Are  you  indeed  so  happy  in  your  splen- 
dor ?  Have  you  no  secret  craving  for  something,  that 
shall  be  eternal  ?  The  time  will  come,  when  you  too 
shall  bow  the  head  before  the  tree  of  disgrace  and  mar- 
tyrdom, when  you  too  shall  know  how  gloriously  the 
carpenter's  son  of  Nazareth  has  solved,  for  us,  the  dark 
riddle  of  human  existence.  You  will  soar  above  the  dim 
confusion  of  the  fleeting  present,  to  the  realms  of  hope 
and  faith  and  divine  grace." 

It  was  with  a  strange  feeling  of  spellbound  astonish- 
ment, that  Quintus  gazed  into  the  speaker's  face,  which 
was  radiant  with  solemn  but  triumphant  peace.  Glauce 
had  gently  leaned  her  head  on  her  father's  shoulder,  as 
though  it  was  in  him  that  she  sought  and  found  her 


277.  FACTORIES  AND  PRISONS.  Ergastulum  was  the  name  given 
to  a  kind  of  prison  where  slaves,  who  had  been  guilty  of  any  fault 
were  kept  at  specially  hard  labor.     The  arrangement,  of  these  ergas- 
tula  in  many  respects  resembled  our  modern  prisons. 

278.  THOUSANDS  AND  THOUSANDS  ANSWER  TO  IT.    See  the 
passages  in  the  letter  of  Pliny,  who  as  the  Christians'  foe,  reports  to 
the  emperor:    "  This  superstition  has  not  only  spread  over  the  city, 
but  through  the  villages  and  surrounding  country.  '   (Pliny,.£/».  X,  98. 


184  QUINTUS   CLAUDIUS. 

mainstay  in  the  stniggle  with  life ;  and  in  spite  of  the 
mournful  feeling  which  still  left  its  traces  round  her  lips, 
silent  contentment  lay  on  the  pure  young  brow.  She 
sat  with  downcast  eyes,  her  hands  folded  in  gentle  ex- 
haustion. Euterpe  and  Diphilus  hung  in  rapt  reverence 
on  the  lips  of  the  old  man,  who,  to  them,  seemed  to 
stand  in  the  light  of  a  radiance  from  heaven. 

Quintus  was  unutterably  impressed  by  the  individu- 
ality of  this  strong,  resolute  and  triumphantly  happy 
believer.  His  aversion  to  this  new  doctrine  of  the  uni- 
verse began  to  melt  like  snow  on  Soracte  in  a  spring 
breeze.  Vigorously  as  self-love  rebelled,  conviction 
proved  the  stronger.  In  his  hours  of  solitude  the  same 
reflections  had  often  occurred  to  him,  and  commended 
themselves  to  his  feelings,  but  the  denunciation  of  the 
existing  state  of  things  had  never  before  been  so  boldly 
presented  to  him.  It  must  be  a  stout  heart  and  a  pow- 
erful mind,  that  could  deny  the  intrinsic  justification  of  a 
social  order  so  complete  as  that  of  the  Roman  empire, 
and  cry  to  a  nation  of  nobles  and  slaves :  "All  men  are 
brothers!"  It  would  be  worth  while  to  see  and  hear 
more  of  this  Nazarene  Gracchus,*79  and  to  sound  the 
depths  of  the  mysterious  power,  which  gave  such  staunch 
vitality  to  the  new  doctrine,  even  after  the  fearful  per- 
secutions of  Nero. 

All  these  reflections  rushed  in  a  tumultuous  torrent 
through  the  young  patrician's  soul.  He  could  no  longer 
bear  the  confinement  of  the  low,  hot  room.  He  rose, 
trying  to  conceal  under  a  smile  of  careless  politeness 

279.  NAZARENE  GRACCHUS.  Quintus  here  perceives,  like  Thrax 
Barbatus,  in  the  carpenter's  son  of  Nazareth  a  real  representative  of 
the  people's  rights,  and  therefore  a  companion  of  Tiberius  and  Caius 
Sempronius  Gracchus,  the  two  tribunes  of  the  people  (about  the 
middle  of  the  second  century  B.  C.) 


QWNTUS  CLAUDIUS.  185 

how  deeply  he  had  been  interested  and  absorbed ;  he 
paced  up  and  down  the  little  room  once  or  twice,  and 
then  said  with  a  certain  condescension : 

"  I  should  be  grateful  to  you  if,  at  an  early  opportu- 
nity, you  would  tell  me  more  concerning  your  doctrine ; 
I  am  always  glad  to  gain  information  at  the  fountain- 
head.  For  the  present  I  bid  you  farewell.  Early  to- 
morrow morning  I  shall  do  my  utmost  for  Eurymachus ; 
pray  to  your  God,  that  He  may  crown  our  efforts  with 
success." 

Euterpe  conducted  the  visitor  down  stairs  again,  and 
then  flew  back  to  the  little  room  where  Glauce  and 
Diphilus  had  already  moved  the  table  and  arranged  a 
little  altar  for  an  offering  for  the  dead,  on  behalf  of  the 
luckless  Philippus. 

While  these  good  souls  were  kneeling  in  silent  sorrow 
before  the  cross,  Quintus  walked  homewards  through  the 
darkness  with  a  throbbing  heart ;  his  head  ached  and  a 
mighty  struggle,  such  as  he  had  never  before  experi- 
enced, seemed  to  rend  his  heart.  At  the  top  of  the 
Esquiline  he  came  to  a  stand-still,  and  as  he  leaned 
against  the  basin  of  a  fountain  graced  with  spouting 
tritons,  he  gazed  westwards  over  the  night-wrapped  city, 
which  lay  spread  abroad  at  his  feet,  like  a  colossus  prone 
in  rest.  He  could  scarcely  distinguish  theliuge  build- 
ings— the  Flavian  Amphitheatre,  the  palaces  and  the 
capitol.  Mons  Janiculus980  stood  out  like  a  darker  storm- 
cloud  against  the  blue-black  sky,  and  a  dull  moan  and 
murmur  rose  upon  the  air  like  the  breathing  of  the  sleep- 
ing giant.  A  sense  of  infinite  desertedness,  of  unspeak- 
able longing  and  inexplicable  dread  fell  upon  him. 

280.  MONS  JANICULUS.  Now  Monte  Gianicolo,  on  the  right  bank 
of  the  Tiber. 


l86  QUINTUS   CLAUDIUS. 

"Yes,  ye  noble  souls !"  he  groaned,  covering  his  face 
with  his  hands.  "  I  will  return — I  will  soon  rejoin 
your  peaceful  and  blissful  circle  !  By  all  the  anguish  I 
ever  suffered,  by  all  the  torment  that  gnaws  at  my  heart, 
I  swear  I  will  return !" 

And  with  a  sigh  of  relief  like  that  of  a  man,  who 
finds  himself  well  again  after  long  sickness,  he  went 
down  into  the  valley. 


CHAPTER  XIV. 

ON  a  purple  couch,  her  right  hand  supporting  her 
handsome  head,  while  her  left  played  mechanically  with 
the  folds  of  her  robe,  lay  the  Empress  Domitia ;  Poly-, 
charma,  her  favorite  slave,  sat  in  silence  on  the  floor, 
holding  in  her  lap  a  red  and  blue  bird,  which  now  and 
then  flapped  its  wings  and  gave  a  loud,  strange  cry. 
All  else  was  silent,  oppressed  by  sultry  gloom  and  the 
steamy  stillness  of  the  air.  In  spite  of  its  nearness,  the 
noise  of  the  Forum  was  dulled  to  a  murmur  like  that  of 
wind-rocked  trees.  The  marble  statue  of  Venus*81  by  the 
door-way  looked  sleepily  down  under  her  drooping  lids ; 
even  the  little  Eros  with  his  lightly-tilted  jar,  seemed 
touched  with  melancholy.  Outside,  in  the  corridors  and 
antechambers,  there  was  scarcely  a  sound.  The  slaves 
glided  cautiously  about  on  tiptoe,  and  spoke  in  whis- 
pers or  expressed  themselves  by  signs.  Their  imperial 

281.  STATUE  OF  VENUS.  A  statue  of  the  Venus  Genitrix  (Gene- 
rator, mother,  so  called  as  the  ancestress  of  the  race  of  Julius  Caesar, 
who  erected  a  temple  to  her  under  this  name)  has  been  found  among 
the  ruins  of  the  imperial  palace  on  the  Palatine,  also  an  Eros,  swing- 
ing a  jar. 


QUINTUS  CLAUDIUS.  187 

mistress's  melancholy  mood  seemed  to  fill  the  very 
atmosphere  with  a  subtle  malaise  and  anxious  fore- 
bodings. 

A  few  hours  since,  the  first  meeting  had  taken  place 
between  the  reconciled  couple.  They  had  met  with 
dignity  and  a  calm  semblance  of  friendly  regard  on  both 
sides;  but  between  them  lay  the  unspoken  but  bitter 
certainty  that,  after  all  that  had  passed,  no  real  recon- 
ciliation could  ever  be  possible.  Caesar's  suspicious 
nature  recoiled  from  Domitia's  superiority  of  intellect 
and  vehement  temper — which  flashed  ominously  in  her 
eyes  in  spite  of  conventional  smiles  and  smoothness — 
and  from  the  scathing  irony  of  her  proud  and  revenge- 
ful spirit.  She,  on  the  other  hand,  knew  the  Emperor's 
hatred  and  implacable  malice;  she  knew  that,  once 
aggrieved,  Domjtian  had  the  tenacity  of  a  tiger  in  am- 
bush, never  weary  of  watching  for  an  opportunity  for  the 
fatal  spring.  Added  to  this  there  was  the  remembrance 
of  her  own  humiliations — her  banishment  from  the 
palace,  the  execution  of  Paris,  and  the  emperor's  passion 
for  his  niece  Julia.  And  now,  to  be  forgiven  by  him 
whom  she  so  thoroughly  despised — to  accept  the  clem- 
ency of  Domitian — this  was  the  worst  and  deepest 
humiliation  of  all  .... 

So,  listless  and  silent,  she  lay  on  her  pillows,  review- 
ing in  imagination  the  events  of  the  last  few  hours  in 
pictures  that  seemed  to  mock  her  as  they  passed.  The 
Apollo-like  figure  of  the  young  patrician,  who  had  fired 
her  fancy  at  Baiae,  seemed  to  smile  at  her  contemptu- 
ously; she  sighed  and  closed  her  eyes,  as  though  to 
escape  the  vision.  Till  a  few  hours  ago,  she  had  be- 
lieved that  she  had  conquered  that  madness.  Her  spirit 
had  found  strength  in  resolving  on  revenge,  and  she  had 


1 88  QUINTUS  CLAUDIUS. 

felt  like  a  goddess  bent  on  punishing  the  presumption  of 
a  mortal.  But  now — in  this  new  mood — she  was  con- 
scious of  a  subtle  change,  the  desire  for  revenge  re- 
mained, but  now  there  was  nothing  lofty,  no  sense  of 
superiority  in  the  feeling — the  goddess  had  given  place 
to  a  vain,  lovesick  woman,  full  of  annoyance  and  petty 
spite.  This  change  was  a  result  of  her  altered  cir- 
cumstances ;  the  sight  of  her  husband  had  reminded  her 
of  the  fact  which  she  had  striven  to  the  utmost  to  ignore ; 
that  one  word  from  that  adored  youth  would  have 
sufficed  to  make  this  reconciliation  an  impossibility. 
Shame  and  hatred,  rage  and  passion,  seethed  in  her  soul, 
and  her  self-tormenting  fancy  painted  alternately  the 
most  enchanting  and  the  most  horrible  pictures.  As  in 
some  hideous  dream,  the  form  and  features  of  Quintus 
were  mixed  up  with  those  of  her  former  lover,  the  exe- 
cuted actor.  She  saw  herself  in  tears,  kneeling  wildly  at 
his  feet — he  raised  her,  kissed  her,  her  senses  reeled. 
Then  he  scornfully  flung  her  from  him — she  shuddered 
from  head  to  foot,  and  stabbed  him  desperately  with  her 
pt)inard  .... 

Then  again  she  recalled  the  occasion,  when  Poly- 
charma  had  returned  to  her  with  the  little  tablet  that 
Quintus  had  given  to  the  slave-girl  in  the  park,  the  an- 
swer to  her  last  passionate  letter — that  tablet  had  been 
her  death-warrant — but  no,  not  hers — his !  "  He  must 
die!" — she  seemed  to  see  the  words  traced  between 
those  fatal  lines. 

Then  everything  faded  from  her  vision  like  a  land- 
scape shrouded  in  mist.  Instead  of  the  slave-girl,  it  was 
the  flute-player,  who  stood  before  her  with  a  triumphant 
sparkle  in  her  eyes,  as  her  cheek  flushed  under  the 
traitor's  touch — as  she  had  seen  her  stand,  the  bold 


QUINTUS   CLAUDIUS.  189 

hussy,  on  the  hill  at  Cumae — happy,  no  doubt,  in  the 
love  that  she,  the  Empress,  pined  for. 

The  thought  was  intolerable ;  the  miserable  woman 
writhed  under  the  clutch  of  the  demon  of  jealousy.  She 
groaned  and  struggled  for  breath.  Polycharma  started 
to  her  feet. 

"  Lady,  mistress — what  is  the  matter  ?"  she  asked, 
gazing  helplessly  at  Domitia's  distorted  features.  But 
the  sound  of  a  voice  broke  the  spell ;  Domitia  controlled 
herself.  Not  a  soul  on  earth,  not  even  this  trusted  slave, 
should  ever  know  how  low  she  could  be  brought.  She 
would  hold  herself  proudly  and  defiantly — aye,  though 
she  should  suffocate  in  the  effort.  Polycharma  should 
suppose  that  the  adventure  in  the  gardens  of  Lycoris 
was  a  mere  whim,  a  comedy ;  never  would  she  betray 
the  anguish  of  her  unrequited  passion  and  deep  humili- 
ation. 

She  raised  herself  on  the  pillows  and  sighed  deeply 
again,  as  if  to  prove  that  the  groan  which  had  escaped 
her  had  not  been  involuntary. 

"  I  am  afraid,"  she  said  in  a  low  voice,  "  that  I  am 
too  much  accustomed  to  liberty,  ever  to  make  myself 
happy  again  within  the  bars  of  this  golden  cage.  I  have 
too  long  been  a  free  and  unfettered  woman,  to  have  re- 
tained any  talent  for  being  Empress.  The  marble  walls 
of  a  palace  weigh  upon  me  like  lead.  Ah !  Polycharma ! 
I  am  longing  already  for  my  quiet  retreat  on  the  Quiri- 
nal,  or  for  Baiae  and  its  delicious  wilderness." 

"  Oh  !  I  understand  that,"  exclaimed  the  girl.  "  Par- 
ticularly for  Baiae — is  there  a  more  heavenly  spot  on 
earth  ?  The  bench  under  the  hedge  of  bay,  with  that 
lovely  view  over  the  blue  sea !  And  when  the  full  moon 
rises  over  the  hill — it  is  beyond  words,  And  do  you 


190  QUINTUS   CLAUDIUS. 

remember  the  young  knight  from  Mediolanum,"8"  who 
recited  to  us  the  woes  of  Queen  Dido,*3  and  whom  you 
permitted  to  kiss  this  white  hand  as  his  reward  ?  He 
trembled  like  an  aspen  in  the  evening  breeze.  Ah  !  and 
Xanthios,  the  beautiful  young  Greek  from  Cumae !  How 
desperately  the  boy  was  in  love  with  me !" 

Domitia  tried  to  smile. 

"  Poor  child,"  she  said  sadly.  "  And  you  too  will 
find  out  what  it  is  to  live  at  Caesar's  court." 

"  Ah  well !"  said  Polycharma  airily,  "  by  the  grace  of 
the  gods,  we  will  be  able  to  retain  some  fragment  of 
our  lost  freedom.  Your  steward  is  a  very  shrewd  and 
clever  man,  and  he  will  see  what  can  be  managed.  And 
for  your  sake,  Sovereign  Mistress,  he  would  be  ready  to 
burn  down  Rome." 

"  Indeed  ?  What  makes  you  think  so  ?" 

"Well — of  course  we  all  have  our  own  ideas. — 
Stephanus  lives  and  toils  for  nothing  but  your  Highness, 
and  for  the  glory  of  your  name.  It  was  he,  who  con- 
quered Caesar's  obstinacy  and  made  your  return  possi- 
ble. And  confess,  gracious  mistress — Baiae  may  be 
lovely,  and  the  evening  hours  in  the  park  there  were  in- 
deed delightful,  but  to  share  the  throne  of  Caesar,  the 
ruler  of  the  world  —  that  is  yet  more  lovely  and  de- 
lightful!" 

282.  MEDIOLANUM,  now  Milan. 

283.  THE  WOES  OF  QUEEN  DIDO,  even  at  that  time  a  famous 
episode  in  Virgil's  Aeneid.    That  the  sorrows  of  Dido  were  specially 
popular  is  shown  in  Juv.  Sat.  VI,  434,  which  runs: 

"Ilia  tamtn  grccvior,  quae,  quum  dtscumberc cotpit, 
Laudat  Virgilium,  periturat  ignoscit  Elissae. 

The  question  whether  Dido  did  right  in  choosing  death,  seems  to  have 
been  discussed  by  would-be  beaux  e  sprits,  as  in  our  own  day,  people 
argue  about  the  comparative  merits  of  Goethe  and  Schiller. 


QUINTUS   CLAUDIUS.  191 

"  Who  can  tell  ----  "  said  Domitia. 

"  Stephanus,  at  any  rate,  thought  so." 

"  I  do  not  understand  you." 

"  Well,  I  mean  that  he  has  always  done  his  best  ..." 

"  But  it  seems  to  me,  that  it  is  no  more  than  his 
duty." 

"  Certainly.  Still,  there  is  a  way  of  doing  one's  duty 
—  a  devotedness  .  .  .  .  " 

"  What  are  you  aiming  at  ?"  asked  the  Empress. 
"  First  you  speak  as  if  you  wanted  to  keep  silence,  and 
then  you  break  off  as  if  you  wished  to  speak  .  .  .  .  " 

"  I  only  thought  ----  " 

"  Speak  out  boldly,  Polycharma,  and  have  done  with 
this  mysterious  behavior,  which  is  like  the  incoherence  of 
a  sibyl.""64 

"  By  the  gods  !  but  I  dare  not.  Besides  I  only  guess 
at  it  ;  he  could  never  be  so  bold  .  .  .  .  " 

"  You  are  talking  in  riddles.  Speak  out  ;  I  command 
you!" 

"  Oh  !"  cried  the  girl  contritely.  "  How  am  I  to  say 
it  ?  Stephanus  is  consumed  by  a  hopeless  passion.  He 
is  dying  of  silent  love  for  the  charms  of  his  imperial  mis- 
tress." 

Domitia's  features  did  not  show  a  shade  of  feeling, 
and  Polycharma  glanced  in  terror  at  the  expressionless 
face,  for  not  the  twinkle  of  an  eyelash,  not  a  twitch  of 
the  lips,  betrayed  what  emotion  might  have  been  roused 
by  this  explanation. 

"  You  are  mistaken,"  replied  the  Empress  after  a 
long  pause.  "  My  steward  is  a  faithful  servant,  and  his 


284.  SIBYL.  (StfuAAa,  from  2iJ*  /JovAij,  literally  "  counsellor  of 
God")  the  name  given  to  the  prophesying  priestesses  of  Apollo. 
Their  predictions  were  vague  and  mysterious, 


192  QUINTUS   CLAUDIUS. 

zeal  and  devotion  are  seen  by  your  youthful  fancy  rin  a 
too  poetical  light. — Go,  have  done  with  your  foolish  im- 
aginings; take  your  lute,  and  sing  me  one  of  your  gayest 
songs." 

The  girl  retired  a  little  distance,  and  an  arch  smile 
lighted  up  her  shrewd  little  face.  She  fetched  the  cithara 
out  of  its  carved  case  and  returned,  lightly  tuning  the 
strings. 

"  Some  one  is  knocking,"  she  said  pausing,  and  she 
went  to  the  door.  "  What  is  it  ?  You  know,  Strato, 
that  our  mistress  does  not  choose  to  be  disturbed." 

A  short  whispered  colloquy  was  carried  on  outside 
the  curtain,  that  hung  before  the  entrance;  then  Poly- 
charma  came  to  announce  that  Stephanus  begged  an 
audience  on  a  matter  of  great  importance. 

Domitia  did  not  at  once  reply.  Then  she  suddenly 
looked  up,  as  if  struck  by  some  new  idea. 

"  Desire  him  to  come  in,"  she  said  eagerly.  "  Poly- 
charma,  leave  us  together." 

The  same  meaning  smile  again  parted  the  girl's  lips. 
She  quietly  leaned  the  lute  against  the  wall  and  hastened 
to  the  door,  where  she  lifted  the  curtain  with  mock  ex- 
aggeration of  respect  and  let  the  steward  pass  in  front 
of  her.  Then  she  slipped  out,  shut  and  fastened  the 
door  and  joined  two  other  slave-girls,  who  were  sitting 
in  the  anteroom  on  red  leather  cushions,  and  carrying  on 
a  laughing  flirtation  with  a  flaxen-haired  Sicambrian 
belonging  to  the  praetorian  guard. 

Stephanus  stood  just  within  the  door  and  bowed  low. 
It  was  difficult  to  recognize  in  him  the  cool  and  un- 
blenching  man,  never  at  a  loss  in  his  perfect  knowledge 
of  court  manners  and  gossip,  and  accomplished  in  the 
arts  of  intrigue.  In  Domitia's  presence  the  freed  man 


QUINTUS   CLAUDIUS.  193 

was  a  slave  again ;  all  his  presence  of  mind,  all  the  easy 
demeanor  he  had  acquired  in  the  school  of  life,  he  had 
left  outside  that  door.  The  man,  who  went  forward  in 
obedience  to  a  nod  from  the  Empress,  was  a  servile, 
creeping  slave,  a  pitiable  wretch,  who  tried  in  vain  to 
find  utterance. 

"  What  ails  you  ?"  asked  the  Empress  with  a  fascin- 
ating smile.  "  You  look  as  pale  as  if  you  had  lain 
awake  all  night.  I  fear  your  zeal  prompts  you  to  work 
too  hard." 

"  Gracious  mistress,"  replied  Stephanus,  "  I  am  dis- 
tressed indeed  if  I  intrude  .  .  .  .  " 

"  I  am  always  ready  to  listen  to  the  faithful  servant, 
who  toils  for  me  so  devotedly.  What  brings  you  here, 
Stephanus  ?" 

The  freedman  was  startled ;  if  he  had  read  aright 
Polycharma's  cunning  glance,  this  reception  promised 
him  such  happiness,  that  the  mere  thought  of  it  turned 
him  giddy. 

"  You  hesitate,"  the  Empress  went  on.  "  I  under- 
stand— you  fear  lest  there  should  be  listeners  in  the 
anteroom.  Your  errand  is  serious  and  important." 

She  rose  and  led  the  way  to  a  side  chamber.  Ste- 
phanus followed.  The  fairy-like  fittings  of  the  beautiful 
room  had  exercised  an  intoxicating  charm  over  the 
senses  even  of  a  spoilt  courtier  like  Stephanus.  The 
whole  boudoir  was  like  a  luxurious  bouquet — walls, 
floor,  ceiling  were  all  hung  and  covered  with  diaphanous 
rose-colored  stuff,  on  which  sparkling  stones  were 
sprinkled  like  dew-drops.  A  tender  twilight  and  the 
heady  scent  of  roses  completed  the  irresistible  witchery 
of  the  scene. 

The  beautiful  creature,  who  stood  in  the  midst  of  all 

VoL  I.  i* 


194  QUINTUS  CLAUDIUS. 

this  dazzling  splendor,  with  her  white  arms  faintly  tinged 
with  the  rosy  reflection,  and  her  flowing  drapery  clinging 
closely  to  the  grand  forms  of  her  limbs,  might,  without 
any  great  effort  of  fancy,  have  been  taken  for  Aphrodite, 
the  goddess  of  love,  incarnate  in  this  adorable  person. 

Stephanus  breathed  hard ;  the  empress  sank  on  to  a 
rose-colored  couch,  and  beckoned  him  to  approach. 

"  Now,"  she  said  graciously,  "  we  are  alone,  pro- 
ceed." I 

"  Sovereign  lady,"  said  Stephanus,  hardly  possessed 
of  all  his  senses, "  my  duty. . .  An  hour  ago  your  humble 
servant  was  with  Lycoris.  She ...  I  know  not  how. .  .but 
lately  we  have  met  with  some  obstacle ...  it  was  only  with 
the  greatest  difficulty  that  I  succeeded . . .  The  cham- 
berlain is  this  evening  to  be  her  guest . . .  She  promised 
me ...  but  she  made  conditions  .  .  .  .  " 

"  It  matters  not,"  said  Domitia.  "  You  will  strain 
every  nerve  to  engage  Parthenius  on  our  side,  I  know, 
and  that  is  enough  for  me.  The  details  I  trust  to  your 
acumen.  If  you  do  not  succeed  the  first  time,  you  will 
try  again.  A  failure,  even  a  blunder,  needs  no  excuses. 
You  have  my  unlimited  confidence." 

"I  am  overwhelmed  by  the  greatness  of  your 
favors." 

He  bowed  to  the  ground  and  humbly  kissed  the  hem 
of  her  robe,  which  fell  in  ample  folds,  leaving  a  small 
part  of  her  sandal  and  snowy  foot  bare.  A  strange  mix- 
ture of  pain  and  triumph  lurked  in  her  eyes,  as  the 
thought  flashed  through  her  mind :  Ah,  why,  hapless, 
adoring  wretch,  are  you  not  Quintus  ?  But  then  a  ter- 
rible satisfaction  gained  the  upperhand ;  her  lips  moved 
as  she  swore  to  herself  an  unspoken  vow — she  clenched 
her  fist  as  though  she  held  a  dagger — a  dagger  for 


QUINTUS   CLAUDIUS.  19$ 

hatred  and  revenge.  Stephanus  could  not  know,  that  at 
that  moment  she  had  formed  a  sinister  resolve. 

"Nay — not  that!"  she  whispered  insinuatingly,  as 
Stephanus  rose  again.  "That  is  service  to  the  gods. 
Among  friends  a  frank  and  honest  hand-shake  .  .  .  .  " 

As  she  spoke  she  offered  the  astonished  steward  the 
tips  of  her  ringers.  He  looked  into  her  eyes  like  one 
dazed.  What  a  change !  This  unapproachable  woman, 
this  divinity — till  this  hour  so  cold  and  repellent,  was 
now  all  melting  softness,  dreamy  and  tender  gracious- 
ness. 

"Adored  lady!"  he  groaned,  pressing  her  hand  to 
his  pale  lips.  "  Kill  me,  but  I  can  no  longer  conceal  it ! 
Death  would  be  bliss  as  compared  with  the  torment  of 
silence.  Glorious  Domitia — more  beautiful  than  Cypria 
herself — I  love  you!" 

He  fell  at  the  feet  of  the  haughty  sovereign,  as  though 
stunned  by  his  own  audacity,  and  leaned  his  forehead  on 
her  footstool.  His  brow  by  chance  touched  her  foot, 
which  she  hastily  withdrew  with  an  involuntary  gesture 
of  aversion.  But  again  a  gleam  of  triumphant  delight 
passed  over  her  features. 

"  Stand  up,"  she  said,  dissimulating  her  excitement. 
"  Your  confession  has  taken  away  my  breath.  I  hardly 
know  whether  I  should  be  angry,  or  whether  this  heart 
— too  tender,  alas ! — should  forgive  your  boldness.  You 
love  me !  It  sounds  sweetly  simple,  like  the  greeting  of 
a  friend — but  think  out  the  whole  meaning  of  that  short 
and  simple  word,  and  tell  rne  then,  if  you  do  not 
tremble  like  a  pine  tree  before  the  gale.  Love  craves 
for  a  return — answer  me,  Stephanus,  do  you  esteem 
yourself  so  favored  by  the  gods,  as  to  dare  to  hope  for 
Domitia's  favors  ?" 

«3* 


196  QUINTUS   CLAUDIUS. 

The  freedman  had  slowly  risen  to  his  feet.  His  thin 
hair,  artificially  darkened,  hung  loosely  over  his  throb- 
bing temples ;  his  eyes  were  fixed  and  glazed. 

"  I  know,"  he  said  in  hollow  tones,  "  that  I  am  un- 
worthy of  your  grace.  But  the  gods  themselves  choose 
blindly,  without  any  regard  for  merit  and  worth.  Their 
mercies  are  dispensed  blindfold — not  only  Ares  the 
slayer,  but  the  humble  Anchises385 . . . .  " 

"  Enough !"  said  Domitia,  who  fancied  she  could 
still  feel  the  hot,  bald  forehead  against  her  foot.  "  If 
the  gods  have  chosen,  you  need  entreat  no  more.  Lis- 
ten to  me,  Stephanus.  I  too  will  be  gracious — Call  it 
a  whim  or  sympathetic  tenderness,  as  you  please; — it 
is  all  the  same. — You  shall  clasp  the  Empress  in  your 
arms  and  be  happy,  Stephanus — on  one  single  condition 
you  shall  realize  your  dream.  But  it  will  require  the  ut- 
most exertion  of  your  talents  .  .  .  ." 

Stephanus  heard  no  more;  overpowered  by  this 
dazzling  vision  of  happiness,  he  had  fallen  back  on  one 
of  the  rose-colored  seats.  His  head  thrown  back,  his 
eyes  closed,  he  lay  a  pitiable  image  of  human  passion 
and  weakness.  The  haze  of  unconsciousness  veiled  the 
strange  and  erratic  brain,  that  was  so  unceasingly  tossed 
and  torn  by  cruelty,  ambition,  avarice,  and  sensual 
greed.  The  corpse-like  figure,  in  its  long  Tarentine 
toga,  was  an  object  of  unutterable  horror  in  the  beauty- 
loving  eyes  of  Domitia — the  sharp  chin,  the  eagle  nose, 
the  hard,  fleshless  brow,  now  no  longer  vivified  by  the 

285.  NOT  ONLY  ARES  THE  SLAYER,  BUT  THE  HUMBLE  AN- 
CHISES. Stephanus  alludes  to  the  love  affair  of  Aphrodite,  who 
according  to  the  Hellenic  myth,  bestowed  her  favors  not  only  on  the 
gods,  as  the  homicidal  Ares,  but  also  upon  mortals.  She  showed  her 
love  for  the  young  Trojan  prince  Anchises,  as  is  well  known,  among 
the  groves  ol  Ida. 


QUINTUS    CLAUDIUS.  197 

sparkle  of  the  fiery  eyes,  all  filled  her  excited  senses  with 
the  horror,  that  blooming  and  joyous  youth  feels  for 
the  bony  hand  of  a  skeleton.  She  almost  repented  of 
her  decision.  Still,  the  recollection  of  Quintus,  gave  her 
strength  to  deny  herself  the  craving  of  her  inmost  nat- 
ure, and  to  persist  in  the  road  she  had  set  out  on. 
Perhaps,  too,  she  had  a  lurking  hope  that  she  might 
cheat  the  tool  of  her  vengeance,  of  the  promised  reward. 

The  steward  did  not  remain  unconscious  more  than 
a  minute ;  when  he  opened  his  eyes,  Domitia  was  mis- 
tress of  herself  and  the  situation.  With  her  right  hand 
she  commanded  silence. 

"  You  need  rest,"  she  said  kindly.  "  And  what  I 
have  to  say  can  be  said  in  a  very  few  words.  Quintus 
Claudius,  the  son  of  the  Flamen,  has  insulted  me  mor- 
tally. How,  where,  and  when,  must  remain  my  secret. 
Help  me  to  triumph  over  this  hated  and  unpardonable 
foe,  and  Domitia  shall  be  yours.  Throw  your  toils 
round  him,  watch  him  wherever  he  goes,  miss  no  oppor- 
tunity of  ruining  him.  —  How  you  will  be  able  to  ac- 
complish this  I  cannot  even  guess,  but  you,  I  know, 
can  do  anything.  Will  you  fulfil  this  commission  ?" 

"  I  will,  sovereign  mistress !"  cried  Stephanus  in  a 
choking  voice.  "  Your  hatred  is  one  with  mine,  for  I 
too  loathe  this  man  as  if  he  were  plague-stricken.  He 
shall  die  under  the  dagger  of  my  meanest  slave,  and 
when  he  lies  gasping  in  the  dust,  I  will  cry  to  him :  Re- 
member Domitia!" 

The  Empress  started  to  her  feet,  and  put  out  her 
hands  with  a  gesture  of  horror. 

"  No,  oh  no  !"  she  cried  vehemently.  "  Death  by 
the  hand  of  an  assassin,  the  mean  fate  of  a  merchant 
waylaid  and  flung  from  his  cart  by  robbers  near  the 


198  QUINTUS  CLAUDIUS. 

Three  Taverns — that  would  be  a  satisfaction  too  mcnn 
for  this  aching  heart  1  I  must  feast  my  soul  on  his 
misery,  set  my  feet  upon  his  neck.  A  dagger-thrust — 
what  is  that  to  him  ?  Do  you  know  the  man  and  his 
proud  contempt  of  life  ?  Look  but  once  in  his  face, 
and  ask  yourself  whether  I  am  to  be  avenged  by  a 
stab.  He  would  die,  as  another  man  would  get  up  and 
take  his  leave  at  a  banquet ;  he  would  die,  and  then  it 
would  be  no  worse  for  him,  than  if  he  had  never  breathed. 
No,  Stephanus ;  go  and  devise  some  better  plan  than 
that !  wound  him,  crush  him  in  that  which  he  loves 
best ;  overwhelm  him  with  disgrace ;  break  his  tower- ' 
ing  pride— then  you  will  have  done  all  I  can  ask  of 
your  skill  and  devotion  !" 

"  I  will  try.  As  yet  I  have  not  the  faintest  idea  of 
the  way  to  do  it,  but  I  have  no  doubt  I  can  find  it. 
And  when  I  have  fulfilled  the  task  you  have  set  me — " 

"  In  conquering  my  enemy,  you  will  conquer  my 
heart,"  said  Domitia  smiling  graciously. 

"  I  will  conquer  or  perish." 

He  flung  his  toga  over  his  shoulder  with  an  air,  and 
went  to  the  door.  The  Empress  watched  him  with  a 
fixed,  almost  a  vacant  stare.  No  sooner  had  the  cur- 
tain fallen  and  the  door  closed  upon  him,  than  she 
dropped  into  the  nearest  seat,  sobbing  convulsively,  and 
set  her  teeth  deep  into  the  cushion  in  which  she  hid  her 
face,  while  a  torrent  of  scalding  tears  rushed  from  her 
half-closed  eyelids. 


QUINTUS  CLAUDIUS.  199 


CHAPTER   XV. 

BEFORE  Stephanus  went  through  to  the  anteroom, 
where  Polycharma  was  waiting  with  the  other  slaves,  he 
paused  a  moment  to  recover  his  breath.  He  drew  him- 
self up,  and  his  face  resumed  its  usual  expression  of  super- 
cilious indifference.  He  now  could  measure  with  calmer 
blood  the  extent  of  his  success ;  that  which,  a  few  min- 
utes since,  had  deprived  him  of  his  senses,  now  filled  his 
spirit  with  elasticity,  and  he  told  himself  that  he  had 
selected,  with  infinite  psychological  insight,  the  mo- 
ment for  realizing  his  long-cherished  purpose — the  mo- 
ment in  fact,  when  her  first  meeting  with  her  husband 
had  shaken  the  proud  woman's  nature  to  the  founda- 
tions. He  believed,  that  the  happy  result  was  obviously 
to  be  ascribed  to  this  fortunate  coincidence,  and  this 
doubled  his  good  opinion  of  his  own  judgment.  His 
glance  lingered  with  supreme  satisfaction  on  the  magni- 
ficent room,  the  statue  of  Venus,  the  little  Eros  and  the 
purple  pillows  on  the  divans.  The  inarticulate  language 
of  the  smile,  that  played  upon  his  thin  lips,  was  easy  to 
interpret — it  told  of  his  hope  ere  long  to  rule  as  master 
in  this  apartment,  as  the  declared  favorite  of  its  lovely 
mistress — lovelier  and  grander  than  the  marble  goddess 
there,  and  oh!  a  thousand  times  warmer  and  more 
gracious. 

He  dropped  his  right  arm,  letting  his  white  robe 
sweep  the  ground  like  the  mantle  of  an  eastern  prince, 
and  went  on  to  the  anteroom.  He  favored  the  wily 
Polycharma  with  a  gracious  nod,  marching  past  the 


200  QUINTUS   CLAUDIUS. 

other  girls  with  the  strut  of  a  promoted  peacock.  The 
Sicambrian  stared  at  him  open-mouthed. 

The  steward's  apartments  were  on  the  farther  side  of 
the  peristyle,  on  the  side  towards  the  Circus  Maxim  us. 
His  offices  were  lower  down  still,  on  the  Quirinal,  where 
the  Empress  had  been  living  since  her  separation  from 
her  husband,  excepting  when  she  went  every  summer  to 
her  villa  at  Baiae.  The  elaborate  paraphernalia  of 
official  papers  made  a  prompt  removal  impossible,  and 
only  certain  small  branches  of  the  steward's  business  had 
as  yet  been  reinstated  in  the  palace. 

Stephanus  went  into  his  private  room,  laid  aside  his 
toga,  and  stretched  himself  at  full-length  on  a  comfort- 
able couch.  His  restless  brain  was  already  seething 
with  a  thousand  plans,  which  chased  each  other  like  a 
flight  of  crows.  Numbers  of  impressions  and  motives, 
which  hitherto  had  lurked  unheeded,  started  up  in  his 
memory  as  possible  starting  points  for  future  operations ; 
but  foremost  of  all  the  figure  of  Eurymachus,  as  yet  ir- 
retrievably lost,  occupied  his  thoughts.  To  judge  from 
the  reports  of  the  slaves,  who  had  followed  the  fugitive, 
the  behavior  of  Quintus  Claudius  had  been  strange 
enough  to  suggest  its  connection  with  the  slave's  suc- 
tv»ful  escape,  even  if  no  direct  connection  existed. 
Stephanus  dimly  felt,  that  here  lay  the  fulcrum  for  his 
lever — but  how  could  he  use  it  ?  Well,  he  had  solved 
harder  problems  than  this  in  his  time.  The  son  of  so 
influential  a  man  as  the  Flamen  was,  no  doubt,  a  more 
difficult  subject  to  deal  with  than  Thrax  Barbatus,  whose 
cries  had  easily  been  drowned;  still — the  higher  the 
obstacle,  the  greater  the  triumph. 

He  lay  gazing  thoughtfully  at  the  tips  of  his  fingers. 
Wholly  possessed  by  the  idea  of  avenging  Domitiu,  he  had 


QUINTUS   CLAUDIUS.  201 

forgotten  for  the  moment,  that  the  escape  of  Eurymachus 
was  of  importance  to  him  on  far  graver  grounds,  than 
the  use  he  could  make  of  it  to  injure  Quintus;  now,  this 
consciousness  pressed  with  double  weight  on  his  soul. 
He  would  have  given  half  his  fortune,  to  learn  that 
Eurymachus  was  silent  forever.  By  some  accident, 
which  to  Stephanus  remained  an  unsolved  mystery, 
Eurymachus  had  learned  a  momentous  secret. — Sup- 
posing that  now,  when  he  was  no  longer  gagged,  he 
should  make  himself  heard — supposing  he  should  shout 
it  out  in  the  ears  of  the  world.  A  hundred  times  did 
the  steward  curse  the  fatal  idea,  of  making  the  execution 
of  his  slave  an  entertainment  for  Lycoris*  guests. 
Quietly  strangled,  or  thrown  into  a  tank  to  feed  the  lam- 
preys—  that  would  have  been  the  rational  thing,  and 
more  like  his  usual  good  sense.  To  be  sure,  hatred  and 
rage  had  spoken  loudly,  and  Lycoris  had  entreated  him 
so  earnestly. — Still  it  was  folly,  madness.  Who  could 
tell  what  Fate  might  bring  out  of  it,  if  such  precious 
material  should  happen  to  fall  into  the  hands  of  Cneius 
Afranius  —  that  cruel  vampire  who,  for  more  than  six 
months,  had  had  his  clutches  on  the  steward's  neck.  His 
eyes  were  fixed  vacantly  on  the  ceiling,  as  the  long  train 
of  his  crimes  passed  before  him.  Each  separate  deed  ap- 
peared clothed  in  flesh  and  blood,  incarnate  in  the  form 
of  Cneius  Afranius,  who  seized  him  by  the  hair  and 
dragged  him  before  the  Senate ;  till,  at  last,  the  direst 
deed  of  all  came  forth  and  cried  to  Heaven,  till  the  great 
city  shook  to  its  foundations,  and  Domitian  himself,  the 
blood-stained  tyrant,  hid  his  face  in  horror. 

Stephanus  started  up. 

"  Be  still,  mad  brain !"  he  exclaimed,  striking  his  fore- 
head with  his  fist.  "  I  have  been  too  easy ;  a  prudent 


202  QUINTUS  CLAUDIUS. 

man  should  strike  and  hold ;  till  now  I  only  kept  out  of 
the  way  of  the  arrows  of  Afranius,  now — let  him  see 
to  it,  that  he  hides  himself  from  mine.  Quintus  and  he ! 
The  same  stroke  may  by  good  hap  fall  on  both  at 
once." 

He  paced  his  room  uneasily  ;  suddenly  he  stood  still 
— before  him  stood  a  lad  with  soft  and  girlish  features. 

"  Antinous !"  cried  the  freedman.  "  You  glide  about 
like  a  weasel." 

"  Forgive  me,  my  lord,  but  I  had  asked  three  times 
to  be  admitted.  I  heard  you  speaking  to  yourself ..." 

"  You  heard  ?" 

"  Not  a  word,  my  lord.  You  muttered  through  your 
teeth — only  disconnected  words — I  thought  you  were 
vexed  and  angry  with  the  slaves  .  .  .  .  " 

"  And  you  came  to  comfort  me  ?"  asked  Stephanus 
smiling.  "  It  is  well  that  I  have  you ;  for  the  next  few 
weeks  you  will  have  heavy  work  on  hand.  Shut  the 
door  and  sit  down  on  the  couch  there." 

"  Heavy  work  ?"  asked  the  boy  disconsolately. 
"  What,  am  I  to  carry  water;  or  till  the  fields  ?  Am  I  to 
be  as  miserable  as  the  others  are  ?" 

Stephanus  laughed,  and  patted  the  lad's  beardless 
cheek. 

"  Not  yet,  my  boy.  I  have  chosen  you  for  something 
better  than  that.  What  I  have  for  you  to  do  is  serious 
and  very  difficult,  but  amusing  and  interesting;  and  if 
you  accomplish  the  task,  you  shall  be — well,  you  shall 
be  free.  Do  you  hear,  Antinous,  free  ?  And  rich  besides, 
for  I  will  give  you  an  estate  .  .  .  .  " 

"  My  lord,  you  know  that  my  devotion  is  boundless. 
Only  a  few  hours  since  I  risked  my  life  for  two  thousand 
miserable  sesterces  .  .  " 


QUINTUS   CLAUDIUS.  203 

"  Not  too  rashly,  I  imagine.  You  thought  that  dis- 
cretion was  the  better  part  of  valor !" 

"  Pardon  me,  but  you  are  mistaken.  I  rushed  down 
upon  him,  when  he  was  surrounded  by  his  clients  and 
slaves ;  and  if  I  had  not  slipped  away  at  the  very  in- 
stant   " 

The  boy  shuddered. 

"  What  is  the  matter  ?"  asked  Stephanus. 

"  I  do  not  know,  but  I  shiver  whenever  I  think  of  it. 
As  I  struck  him,  I  met  his  eye — so  cool  and  contemptu- 
ous.— If  at  that  moment  he  had  seized  me,  I  should 
have  been  lost  .  .  .  .  " 

"  You  are  childish,  Antinous.  I  am  afraid,  that  if 
you  are  so  excitable  you  will  not  earn  your  freedom 
in  a  hurry." 

"What,  again  must  I ?" 

"  No,  his  life  is  spared.  You  must  do  more  than 
that." 

"  More  ?"  said  the  lad  in  astonishment. 

"  Aye,  more,  boy.  Why  any  bandit  from  the  Appian 
Way  could  stab  him ;  what  I  want  you  to  do  requires  not 
only  zeal,  skill  and  courage,  but  intelligence,  readiness, 
and  the  craftiness  of  Ulysses386.  Greek  blood  flows  in 
your  veins387 — you  are  at  once  panther  and  fox.  You 
shall  hear  the  details  in  the  course  of  the  day ;  I  shall 
expect  you  to  dinner  with  me  here  in  the  study. 


286.  THE  CRAFTINESS  OF  ULYSSES.     Ulysses,  Ulixes,   (Odys- 
seus,) the  hero  of  the  Homeric  Odyssey,  was  considered  in  tradition, 
after  Homer's  day,  as  the  type  of  craft  and  cunning,  while  Homer 
presents  him  in  a  more  ideal  light. 

287.  GREEK  BLOOD  FLOWS  IN  YOUR  VEINS.    Among  the  Ro- 
mans, the  Greeks  had  the  reputation  of  resembling  in  character  the 
Ulysses  described  after  Homer's  day.      Next  to  the  Orientals,  they 
were  the  most  hated  of  all  the  dwellers  in  the  provinces. 


204  QUINTUS   CLAUDIUS. 

Enough  for  the  present.  Now  tell  me  where  you  have 
been  so  long?  You  had  no  sooner  told  me  that  your 
blow  had  missed,  than  you  rushed  away  again.  I 
waited  in  vain  ....  you  really  abuse  my  kindness . . . .  " 

"  Oh  !  my  lord,  are  you  angry  ?"  said  the  boy  coax- 
ingly.  "  Indeed,  if  I  sinned,  it  was  not  from  insolence, 
but  from  fear.  I  felt  irresistibly  driven  to  his  house ;  I 
mixed  with  the  people,  that  I  might  learn  whether  in- 
formation had  reached  the  prefects  of  the  attack  upon 
him " 

"  Well  ?" 

"  Up  to  the  present  hour  no  one  knows  of  it.  Quin- 
tus  Claudius  seems  inclined  to  keep  it  a  secret.  Even 
the  gate-keeper,  whom  I  began  to  talk  to  .  ..." 

"  Are  you  mad  ?"  interrupted  Stephanus.  "  Do  you 
want  to  find  yourself  imprisoned  and  crucified  ?" 

"  Nay,  my  lord.  Antinous  does  not  go  to  work  so 
clumsily.  When  I  stopped  to  talk  to  the  gate-keeper,  I 
was  in  girl's  clothes." 

"  It  is  all  the  same;  the  whole  thing  was  aimless." 

"  Not  altogether,  an  accident  rewarded  my  daring. 
Only  think,  as  I  was  standing  there  talking  over  the 
weather — he  took  me,  as  sure  as  I  am  alive,  for  some 
street  hussy — a  woman  came  towards  us  through  the 
ostium,  with  an  old  man  with  a  snow-white  beard.  As 
soon  as  I  saw  her,  I  knew  her  to  be  that  saucy  Euterpe, 
who  so  often  played  the  flute  for  us  at  Baiae ;  do  you 
not  remember  ?  The  pretty  girl  from  Cumae,  who  al- 
ways looked  so  shy  and  stupid,  when  you  praised  her 
shape " 

"  Well,  and  what  does  she  matter  to  me?" 

"Euterpe?  nothing  whatever;  but  the  old  man. — 
As  they  came  past  us,  a  vague  remembrance  crossed  my 


QUINTUS   CLAUDIUS.  205 

mind.  I  said  to  myself:  I  must  surely  know  that  man. 
Then  he  used  some  little  gesture,  and  at  once  I  had 
found  the  trace.  It  was  none  other  than  Thrax  Barbatus, 
that  obstinate  fool  who  wanted,  a  little  while  since,  to 
force  his  way  in  to  see  you  .  .  .  .  " 

"  Thrax !  with  Quintus  Claudius  ?"  cried  the  steward 
horrified.  "  Ah !  I  understand  now !  Claudius  and 
Afranius  are  plotting  together,  to  restore  the  old  idiot  to 
his  rights.  The  Flamen's  son  has  long  honored  me  with 
his  hatred.  A  reason  the  more,  for  disarming  and  dis- 
abling him  .  .  .  .  "  Then  he  suddenly  checked  himself, 
pushed  his  fingers  through  his  hair,  and  scowled. 

"  Listen,"  he  began  eagerly.  "  I  have  an  idea.  Was 
it  not  Euterpe,  who  troubled  herself  so  much  about 
Eurymachus,  when  I  had  him  flogged  ?" 

"  To  be  sure,  Euterpe,  the  pretty  Cumaean  !  He  was 
supposed  to  be  her  lover,  and  while  he  was  laid  up  she 
brought  him  herbs  and  salves ;  and  she  cried  .  .  .  .  " 

Stephanus  drew  a  deep  breath. 

"  What  more  do  you  know  of  all  this  ?" 

"Very  little,"  said  Antinous.  "In  Baiae  I  had 
something  better  to  do,  than  to  trouble  myself  about 
anything  so  commonplace  as  the  love  affairs  of  a  flute- 
playing  hussy.  At  any  rate,  the  noble  Eurymachus  does 
not  seem  to  have  been  very  eager.  Astraeus  heard  him 
once  scolding  her  soundly." 

"  Why  ?" 

"  It  had  something  to  do  with  her  salves  and  oint- 
ments. She  had  bought  the  stuff  of  some  Egyptian 
magician,  and  that  vexed  her  lover  .  .  .  .  " 

Stephanus  nodded,  and  a  gleam  of  malicious  satisfac- 
tion lighted  up  his  vulture  face. 

"Ahl  I  was  not  mistaken,"  he  muttered  between 


206  QUINTUS   CLAUDIUS. 

his  teeth ;  then,  turning  to  the  slave,  he  added  :  u  And 
is  that  all  you  learnt  from  Astraeus  ?" 

"All." 

"Very  good,  then  I  will  question  him  myself;  I 
foresee  great  results.  Go  now,  Antinous ;  my  head  whirls 
with  a  multiplicity  of  wonderful  possibilities.  Claudius, 
Afranius,  Thrax,  Euterpe — you  must  watch  them  all 
with  the  eye  of  an  Argus." 

"  My  lord,  your  confidence  in  me  makes  me  vain. 
You  have  only  to  command,  and  I  will  obey.  I  will 
climb  the  Capitol  like  the  invading  Gauls'";  I  will  dive 
to  the  depths  of  the  sea  and  bring  you  a  message  from 
Thetis.  •*  But  then,  do  not  forget  your  promise." 

"  I  will  keep  it,"  replied  Stephanus,  stroking  the  lad's 
cheek.  "  Freedom  and  gold  are  the  charms,  that  give 
wings  to  your  services." 

"You  are  the  kindest  master*90  in  the  whole  Roman 
Empire !  Farewell." 

He  nodded  to  Stephanus  with  saucy  familiarity, 
danced  across  the  room  with  a  graceful  step,  leaped 
lightly  over  one  of  the  broad  couches,  and  slipped  out  of 
the  door  like  an  eel. 

"  Hail,  all  hail  to  thee,  Quintusl"  Stephanus  muttered 
mockingly.  "  This  is  a  better  beginning,  than  I  dared 


288.  I  WILL  CLIMB  THE  CAPITOL  LIKE  THE  INVADING 
GAULS.  The  (unsuccessful)  attempt  to  take  the  beleaguered  Capitol 
by  storm,  made  by  the  Gauls,  as  is  well  known,  in  the  year  389  B.  C. 
after  they  had  defeated  the  Roman  army  at  the  little  river  Allia. 

280.  THETIS,  daughter  of  Nereus,  lived  with  her  sisters,  the 
Nereids,  in  the  depths  of  the  ocean.  She  personified  the  friendly 
character  of  the  sea,  as  Poseidon  did  its  destructive  and  terrible  one. 

200.  You  ARE  THE  KINDEST  MASTER.  The  epithet  "kind" 
(dukts)  is  often  used  in  this  application  to  superiors  and  those  in  higher 
position.  Thus  Horace  in  the  well-known  first  ode  of  the  first  book 
addresses  Maecenas :  O  et  fraaidium  et  duke  (Ucus  meum.  .  .  . 


QUINTUS   CLAUDIUS.  207 

to  hope  for.  And  if  Fortune  continues  to  favor  me, 
I  will  raise  on  this  foundation  such  a  structure  as 
you  need  not  disdain  to  take  your  pleasure  in." 


CHAPTER  XVI. 

QUINTUS  rose  very  early  the  morning  after  his  visit 
to  Thrax  Barbatus,  and  the  stars  were  still  sparkling 
brightly,  when  he  got  into  his  litter  and  in  a  weary  voice 
bid  the  slaves  carry  him  to  the  palace.  He  almost  fell 
asleep  again  within  the  curtains,  so  coolly  and  indiffer- 
ently could  he  look  forward  to  his  interview  with  the 
awe-inspiring  Caesar,  who  was  always  treated  with  a 
degree  of  cautious  respect,  even  by  his  intimates  and 
favorites — somewhat  as  a  tame  tiger  is  treated  by  its 
keepers.  This  coolness  he  derived  from  a  sense  of  the 
justice  of  his  cause ;  he  was  still  young  enough  to  have 
preserved  that  noble  simplicity  of  a  lofty  nature,  which 
attributes  irresistible  power  to  Truth,  and  which  cannot 
use  the  specious  defences,  with  which  vulgar  humanity  is 
content  to  arm  itself. 

In  the  outer  court  of  the  palace  a  tumultuous  crowd 
had  already  assembled — of  magistrates,  senators,  and 
foreign  ambassadors.  Quintus  gave  one  of  the  chamber- 
lains on  duty991  a  note  from  the  Flamen  Titus  Claudius 
Mucianus,  to  deliver  to  Caesar  in  his  audience  chamber, 

291.  THE  CHAMBERLAINS  ON  DUTY.  At  the  emperor's  formal 
moping  reception  a  large  number  of  court  officials  was  present,  to 
maintain  order,  announce  those  who  were  awaiting  admission  and  ac- 
company them  into  the  hall  of  audience.  These  persons  were  called 
tdmissionales  (admitters)  or  people  ab  admissions,  ex  ojftiio  admissionis 
etc..  (See  Suet,  Vesp.  14,  etc.) 


208  QUINTUS  CLAUDIUS. 

and  so  powerful  was  the  effect  of  this  venerated  name, 
that  Domitian  granted  an  immediate  interview  to  the 
young  patrician,  in  the  midst  of  the  terrific  pressure  of 
official  receptions. 

Quintus  entered  the  presence  chamber  with  a  fearless 
and  independent  mien,  but  with  the  calm  dignity  and 
winning  courtliness  of  the  Roman  aristocrat. 

"  My  lord,"  he  said,  as  a  sign  from  the  emperor  bid 
him  speak,  "  it  is  as  the  son  of  Titus  Claudius,  that  you 
have  so  readily  granted  me  a  hearing,  but  it  is  as  the 
future  husband  of  Cornelia,  the  niece  of  Cinna,  that  I 
craved  an  audience.  I  stand  before  you  as  a  petitioner. 
Cornelius  Cinna,  the  illustrious  senator — whose  intrinsic 
value  you  must  certainly  have  discerned,  even  under  the 
husk  of  some  singularities — is  suffering  under  the  sense 
of  an  insult,  as  he  deems  it.  That  midnight  banquet,  of 
which  all  Rome  is  talking,  was  of  course,  no  more  than 
a  harmless  prelude  to  the  Saturnalia"9* — the  overflow 
of  festive  whimsicality.  But  Cinna,  who  is  rigid  and  im- 
pervious to  all  joviality,  regards  the  jest  as  a  humiliation 
and  dishonor.  It  lies  in  your  power,  my  lord,  to  efface 
this  painful  feeling  from  the  noble  senator's  mind.  One 
gracious  word  of  explanation  .  .  .  .  " 

Domitian  did  not  let  the  bold  youth  finish  his  sen- 


202.  SATURNALIA.  A  name  given  to  a  festival  held  for  several 
days  in  the  latter  part  of  the  month  of  December,  in  honor  of  the  old 
Italian  god  of  the  harvest,  Saturnus.  It  resembled  in  some  respects 
our  Christmas  festivities,  in  others  the  carnival  gayeties.  The  Satur- 
nalia commemorated  the  happy  age  of  Saturnus.  All  work  ceased. 
Our  "  Happy  New  Year  !"  or  the  cry  :  "  Fool,  let  the  fool  out !"  had 
their  counterpart  in  the  shouts  echoing  on  all  sides:  "  lo  saturnalia/ 
lo  bona  saturnalia!"  People  caroused,  feasted  and  gambled;  pleased 
each  other  with  gifts  and  surprises.  The  slaves  were  admitted  to 
table,  in  token,  that  under  the  rule  of  Saturnus  there  had  been  no 
distinction  of  rank ;  all  sorts  of  jests  and  amusements  were  practised, 
and  a  certain  liberty  of  word  and  deed  everywhere  prevailed. 


QUINTUS   CLAUDIUS.  209 

tence.  The  mere  mention  of  the  name  of  Cinna  had 
been  enough  to  set  his  blood  boiling.  And  now,  what 
was  this  audacious,  seditious,  rebellious  suggestion  ?  —  If 
he  still  kept  some  check  on  his  anger,  it  was  that  the  grave, 
steadfast  figure  of  the  Flamen  floated,  unbidden,  before 
his  eyes,  and  compelled  his  respect  for  all  who  bore  his 
name.  Still,  the  glance  he  threw  at  Quintus  out  of  his 
cunning  green  eyes  gave  grounds  for  reflection. 

"  My  dear  Quintus,"  he  said  with  forced  composure, 
"  our  time  is  too  precious  for  such  follies.  It  is  not 
Caesar's  business,  either  to  console  Cinna  or  to  offer  him 
explanations.  Remember  that.  And  now  leave  us,  lest 
the  welfare  of  the  commonwealth  should  suffer."  With 
these  words  he  turned  his  back  on  Quintus. 

Quintus  was  speechless;  he  angrily  quitted  the 
audience  chamber,  feeling  as  if  every  slave  must  read  in 
his  face  how  insultingly  the  emperor  had  treated  him. 
Incapable  from  indignation,  to  judge  accurately  and 
fairly,  he  felt  as  a  bitter  disgrace,  what  was,  in  fact,  the 
inevitable  result  of  a  false  assumption.  Standing  apart 
as  he  did  from  the  life  of  the  court,  and  strongly  in- 
fluenced by  his  father's  views,  he  had  always  regarded 
Caesar  in  too  favorable  a  light ;  still,  he  might  have  been 
shrewd  and  judicious  enough,  to  have  understood  the 
folly  and  impossibility  of  his  preposterous  suggestion  ; 
he  might  have  told  himself  that,  even  under  the  most 
favorable  conditions,  only  those,  who  have  sinned  unin- 
tentionally, ever  make  advances  towards  reconciliation. 

From  the  palace  Quintus  hastened  on  foot  to  his 
father's  residence,  which  lay  at  no  great  distance.  He 
desired  his  clients  and  slaves  to  wait  in  the  vestibule,  and 
went  first  to  the  women's  large  sitting-room,  where  he 
found  his  mother  and  the  two  girls,  with  Caius  Aurelius 

Vol.  I.  14 


a  10  QUINTUS  CLAUDIUS. 

in  attendance.  The  Batavian  was  holding  a  book  in  his 
left  hand,  and  with  an  awkward  blush  on  his  face  was 
standing  near  the  window,  while  the  ladies  leaned  ex- 
pectantly on  their  couches. 

A  shade  of  annoyance  flitted  across  Claudia's  brow 
as  her  brother  entered  the  room ;  the  young  Northman 
flushed  a  shade  deeper,  and  dropped  the  hand  which 
held  the  roll  as  he,  not  too  warmly,  returned  his  friend's 
greeting. 

"  I  am  disturbing  a  recitation,"  said  Quintus  apolo- 
getically. 

"  Oh  !  the  day  is  before  us !"  cried  Lucilia,  and  Oc- 
tavia  asked  her  son  what  had  brought  him  so  early  to 
the  house. 

"  Nothing  of  much  importance,"  said  Quintus 
vaguely ;  "  a  request  to  my  father.  I  am  only  waiting, 
till  the  atrium  is  perfectly  clear.  Pray  go  on  reading, 
Aurelius.  I  will  sit  quite  still  in  this  corner  and  listen 
for  a  time.  Meanwhile,  will  Lucilia  fetch  me  a  cup  of 
mead*93;  my  tongue  is  literally  parched." 

"  *  He  spoke,  and  the  dark-browed  Kronion  nodded 
assent  !•*'"  quoted  Lucilia,  going  to  a  side  door. 

293.  MEAD  (Mulsum,  scil.  vinum)  prepared  from  cider  and  honey, 
a  favorite  drink,  especially  at  the  prandium. 

294.  HE   SPOKE,   AND  THE   DARK-BROWED    KRONION  NODDED 

ASSENT.  In  these  words  Lucilia  quotes  a  well-known  line  of  the  Iliad 
(II.  I,  528.) 

•n,  irai  Kvaviyaiv  «V  cxfrpvcri  v«v<rt  Kportwr. 

How  customary  such  quotations  were — not  only  in  Latin  translations, 
but  in  the  original  language — appears  in  Pliny's  letters,  for  instance. 
I,  24,  where  in  two  different  passages  lines  from  the  Iliad  are  quoted, 
among  them  the  one  mentioned  here,  also  in  I,  18,  (farther  below  in 
the  same  letter)  I,  20,  (several  times;)  IV,  28;  V.  19;  V,  26.  Else- 
where in  Pliny  numerous  Greek  words  and  phrases  are  found  in  the 
Latin  text  (see  Ep.  I,  13,  19,  20;  II,  2,  3,  12,  13,  14,  20;  IV,  xo;  VI, 
32,  etc.)  as  in  our  own  times  a  French,  English,  or  Latin  phrase 


QUINTUS   CLAUDIUS.  211 

"  Baucis,"  she  called  out,  and  gave  her  orders  in  a  lower 
voice.  Caius  Aurelius,  obeying  Octavia's  glance  of  re- 
quest, had  already  unrolled  the  book  again,  and  he  now 
began  to  read  in  a  full  and  pleasant  voice.  In  truth,  the 
much-lauded  Papius  Statius  might  have  been  satisfied. 
He  himself,  a  master  in  the  art,  could  not  have  read  his 
own  poem  better  or  more  effectively.  Quintus  was  as- 
tonished beyond  words.  What  delightful  tones,  what 
various  modulation,  and  above  .all  what  supreme  intelli- 
gence of  interpretation !  and  though  Lucilia  now  and 
then  struggled  with  a  yawn,  it  was  evidently  from  sheer 
physical  fatigue,  for  it  had  been  past  midnight  before 
she  had  gone  to  sleep. 

When  Aurelius  had  got  to  the  end  of  the  second 
canto  of  the  poem,  Quintus  drank  the  remainder  of  his 
draught  of  mead  and  desired  old  Baucis  to  enquire  in 
the  atrium,  whether  Titus  Claudius  had  not  yet  received 
the  last  of  his  morning  visitors  and,  hearing  that  his 
father  was  alone,  he  took  leave  and  hastened  to  the 
priest's  study.  He  found  his  father  deep  in  work,  even 
at  his  son's  greeting  he  only  just  raised- his  head. 

"Welcome,"  said  he  without  interrupting  himself: 
"One  moment,  Quintus — "  and  his  reed395  went  gliding 
on  over  the  yellow  paper.  Then  he  laid  itjicross  a  little 
metal  rest  and  rose. 

"  You  find  me  dreadfully  busy,  my  dear  Quintus,  he 
said  affectionately.  "  Hardly  am  I  left  apparently  in 
peace,  when  I  am  overwhelmed  with  a  mass  of  work, 

occurs  in  a  German  letter.  Every  cultivated  person  understood 
Greek  ;  nay,  the  preference  for  this  language  had  become  a  fashion- 
able mania',  just  as  in  the  last  century  there  was  a  craze  for  French  in 
Germany.  (See  ]uv.  Sat,  VI,  185:  omnia  Graece.  Everything  is 
Greek!) 

295.  REED.  A  pen  made  from  a  reed,  cut  in  the  same  manner 
gs  our  goose  quills,  was  often  used  for  writing, 

•4* 


QUINTUS   CLAUDIUS. 

that  will  bear  no  delay.  I  must  take  advantage  of  every 
minute,  for  a  decision  on  the  great  question  of  the  day  is 
now  imminent." 

"  I  am  sorry  for  that,  father,  for  I  came  to  you  as  a 
petitioner." 

"  Speak  on,"  said  the  Flamen  smiling.  "  I  must  find 
time  for  my  son." 

"  Thank  you  very  much,  but  I  fear  that  my  petition 
may  be  too  trivial,  to  engage  your  interest  at  this 
moment." 

"  Nay,  so  much  the  better.  Small  matters  need  few 
words.  Speak  plainly  and  at  once." 

"You  know,"  Quintus  began,  going  a  step  nearer, 
"  that  the  Empress's  steward  Stephanus  is  in  pursuit  of 
a  slave " 

"Yes,  I  know,"  said  the  priest  frowning:  "A  criminal, 
who  was  forcibly  set  free  by  some  unknown  hand.  All 
Rome  is  horrified  at  such  unheard-of  atrocity." 

"It  is  certainly  unheard  of,  that  such  an  attempt 
should  succeed.  To  escape  in  the  midst  of  such  a  crowd 
— the  cowardly  crew  of  Lycoris'  slaves  seemed  thunder- 
struck." 

"  Pah  !  who  can  say,  if  they  were  not  concerned  in 
the  abominable  conspiracy  ?  My  word  for  it,  Quintus, 
all  these  villains  have  a  secret  understanding ;  they  wait 
only  for  a  watchword  to  rise  and  strike  as  one  man,  and 
to  overthrow  everything  we  hold  sacred.  If  the  state 
does  not  ere  long  exercise  its  authority  in  earnest,  we 
shall  have  a  Spartacus"96  on  the  throne  of  Rome." 

296.  SPARTACUS.  The  terrible  insurrection  of  the  slaves  under 
Spartacus  failed  only  on  account  of  the  want  of  harmony  among  the 
rebels.  This  insurrection,  71  B.  C.  was  conquered  with  the  utmost 
difficulty.  Spartacus,  after  a  famous  battle,  fell  with  his  ablest  com- 
rades. 


QUINTUS  CLAUDIUS. 

"  You  are  jesting,  father.  Shall  the  Roman  empire, 
borne  by  the  eagles  of  her  legions  to  the  uttermost  ends 
of  the  earth,  the  unconquerable  daughter  of  Ares,** 
tremble  before  her  own  slaves  ?" 

"  She  has  trembled  before  now,"  replied  Titus  Clau- 
dius. "  Read  the  chronicles  of  the  historians.  The 
gladiator,  who  escaped  with  a  handful  of  rabble  from  the 
school  at  Capua,  collected  an  army,  before  the  Senate 
had  realized  the  fact.  He  beat  the  praetors,  he  defeated 
the  quaestor  Thoranius,  he  overran  almost  a  third  of  the 
peninsula  .  .  .  .  " 

"  Then,  and  now ;  think  of  the  difference,"  exclaimed 
Quintus,  to  whom  the  unexpected  turn  taken  by  the 
conversation  was  most  painful.  "  That  was  possible  in 
the  time  of  the  Republic,  but  the  strong  hand  of  Caesar 
will  be  able  to  protect  us.  Besides,  the  slaves  of  our  day 
lack  the  one  thing  needful  —  the  irresistible  Spartacus." 

"  He  will  be  forthcoming,  when  the  time  is  ripe.  In- 
deed, from  all  I  hear,  I  fancy  a  candidate  for  the  honor 
has  already  been  discovered.  He  is  called  Eury- 
machus." 

"  Really  ?"  cried  Quintus,  who  was  fast  losing  all  his 
presence  of  mind.  "  Do  you  really  think  ....?" 

"  Yes,  my  son,  I  do  think  «...  Does  not  the  very 
mode  of  his  rescue  show  how  great  and  dangerous  his 
personal  influence  must  be  ?  And  I  hear  on  all  sides  of 
this  man's  defiant  tenacity,  contempt  of  suffering, 
strength  and  endurance.  It  is  out  of  such  rough  wood  as 

397.  DAUGHTER  OF  ARES.  A  name  given  to  Rome  in  conse- 
quence of  the  well-known  legend,  that  Romulus  and  Remus  were  sons 
of  the  war-god  Mars  and  the  vestal  virgin  Rhea  Silvia.  Quintus  here 
uses  the  Hellenic  name  Ares,  as  the  words  '?«-/*»?  *>vy»Tj)p*  Apcoc,  which 
occur  in  the  first  verse  of  a  celebrated  ode  by  the  Greek  poetess 
Melinno  (600  B.  C.)  flitted  before  his  mind. 


214  QUINTUS  CLAUDIUS. 

this,  that  a  Spartacus  is  hewn.  And  a  Spartacus  to-day 
is  more  dangerous  than  his  prototype ;  he  can  command 
a  more  mischievous  force,  against  which  sword  and 
spear  are  wielded  in  vain :  that  of  superstition.  I  can- 
not fail  to  see  this  plainly ;  for  years  I  have  watched  the 
tendencies  of  the  commonalty  with  all  the  keenness  of 
suspicion.  The  creed  of  the  Nazarenes  ferments  and 
spreads — the  next  Spartacus  will  be  a  Christian." 

"  Father,"  Quintus  began  after  a  pause,  "  I  know 
that  in  this  instance  you  are  mistaken.  This  slave — 
I  happen  to  know  certainly — never  conceived  such  a 
scheme.  Besides,  it  seems  to  me,  that  the  acumen  of 
our  statesmen  is  somewhat  at  fault,  when  it  makes  that 
sect  responsible  for  everything  that  shocks  or  shakes 
society  .  .  .  .  " 

"  You  do  not  know  them,"  interrupted  his  father,  and 
I  do.  Enough — we  have  digressed.  What  connection 
has  all  this  with  your  request  ?  Speak,  for  my  time  is 
precious." 

Quintus  stood  undecided.  What  could  he  hope  for 
in  this  state  of  things  ?  Well — he  could  but  try. 

"  Father,"  he  began  hesitatingly,  "  I  came  to  speak 
in  behalf  of  the  very  man,  whom  you  are  making  every 
effort  to  brand  as  a  Spartacus.  I  saw  him  two  or  three 
times  in  Baiae ;  he  pleased  me  greatly,  and  I  then  de- 
termined to  buy  him  of  Stephanus.  Then  this  most  un- 
lucky business  occurred,  and  I  lost  the  slave  whom  I 
had  already  begun  to  think  of  as  my  own.  When  I  tell 
you,  that  Stephanus  deliberately  and  maliciously  tortured 
and  punished  him ;  when  I  swear  to  you  solemnly,  that 
the  sentence  of  death  .  .  .  .  " 

"  What  do  you  want  ?"  asked  his  father  coldly; 
"  speak  and  have  done." 


QUINTUS   CLAUDIUS.  215 

"  Well,  father ;  I  want  to  become  possessed  of  that 
slave  at  any  price,  and  I  ask  you  whether,  in  the  event 
of  his  being  captured,  it  would  not  be  possible  to  miti- 
gate the  rigor  of  the  law  .  .  .  .  " 

"  You  astound  me !  For  a  mere  whim  you  would 
endanger  the  state,  cut  a  trench  in  the  dyke  which  alone 
is  able  to  protect  us  against  the  flood  of  rebellion  ?  And 
you  ask  me — ME — to  be  your  accomplice  in  such  a 
proceeding  ?  I  admit,  that  Stephanus  is  brutal  and 
tyrannical,  nay — from  my  point  of  view — criminal. 
But  then,  are  there  not  laws  to  protect  slaves  against 
such  barbarities  ?" 

"  Laws,  yes — "  cried  Quintus  bitterly, "  but  they  do 
not  exist  as  against  the  rich  and  powerful." 

"  Every  earthly  thing  is  of  its  nature  imperfect.  If 
Stephanus  defies  the  law,  that  does  not  justify  us  in 
leaving  the  crime  of  Eurymachus  unpunished.  I  lament 
deeply,  that  my  own  son  should  so  utterly  misunderstand 
the  first  and  highest  principles  of  my  views  of  life.  Go, 
my  dear  Quintus,  and  for  the  future  consider  twice,  be- 
fore you  trouble  your  father  with  such  follies.  Eury- 
machus must  die  by  the  hand  of  the  executioner,  though 
you  should  pledge  half  your  estates  to  buy  him.  Go, 
my  son,  and  do  not  altogether  forget  that  you  are  a 
Roman." 

Thus  speaking,  Titus  Claudius  sat  down  again  to  his 
desk.  Quintus  stood  for  a  moment  as  if  in  absence  of 
mind ;  then  he  slowly  went  towards  the  door. 

"  Farewell,  father,"  he  said,  as  he  left  the  room.  His 
voice  was  sad,  almost  gloomy,  as  though  they  were  part- 
ing for  a  long,  sad  interval.  Titus  Claudius,  struck  by  the 
strangeness  of  his  tone,  raised  his  head  in  astonishment 
and  gazed,  like  a  man  waking  from  a  painful  dream,  at 


2l6  QUTNTUS   CLAUDIUS. 

the  door  through  which  Quintus  had  departed;  a  vague 
presentiment  fell  on  his  spirit. 

"  I  was  too  hard,"  he  said  to  himself.  "  His  error 
springs  from  a  noble  source — from  pity.  I  ought  to  have 
said  a  kind  word  to  him  before  he  went  away,"  and  he 
hastily  rose  from  his  seat. 

"Quintus,  Quintus!"  he  called  out  into  the  hall. 
"  Skopas,  Athanasius,  did  you  see  my  son  ?" 

The  slaves  flew  into  the  vestibule,  but  Quintus  had 
long  since  disappeared  in  the  bustle  of  the  street.  The 
Flamen  returned  to  his  sitting-room,  oppressed  with 
melancholy  foreboding. 

"  I  will  tell  him  the  very  next  time  I  see  him.  —  He 
has  the  best  and  truest  heart  that  ever  beat,  and  the 
noblest  souls  are  easiest  wounded.  —  However,  away 
with  such  thoughts  now,  and  to  work  once  more." 

Titus  Claudius  sat  down  again  and  bent  over  his 
table  and,  as  he  sat  there,  he  might  have  been  taken  for 
a  poet  in  the  act  of  composition,  for  his  fine  face  glowed 
with  eager  inspiration.  But  the  words  he  wrote  were  not 
those  which  enchant  the  populace,  but  the  eloquent 
flow  of  a  mighty  impeachment ;  what  he  was  forging 
were  not  lines  and  verses,  but  terrific  weapons  against 
what  he  believed  to  be  the  most  threatening  foe  of  the 
Roman  Empire;  against  Christianity."8 

998.  AGAINST  CHRISTIANITY.  Concerning  the  persecutions 
of  the  Christians  under  Domitian,  see  Dio  Cass.  XLVII,  16. 


QUINTUS   CLAUDIUS.  2X7' 


CHAPTER  XVII. 

WHEN  Caius  Aurelius  had  finished  the  fourth  canto 
of  the  Thebais,  Octavia  put  an  end  to  the  reading;  break- 
fast was  waiting  in  the  little  dining-room.  The  young 
man  was  invited  to  join  them,  and  they  passed  a  pleasant 
hour  over  the  meal.  They  were  all  accustomed  to  their 
father's  absence,  for  business  had  lately  so  completely 
absorbed  him,  that  he  would  hardly  give  himself  time  to 
drink  a  glass  of  Falernian,  as  he  sat  at  work,  or  to 
snatch  a  morsel  of  food.  Octavia  lamented  it,  but,  on 
the  other  hand,  she  was  proud  of  it  as  well ;  she  rejoiced 
too  in  the  confident  anticipation  of  a  long  period  of  rest 
and  enjoyment  to  succeed  this  last  great  effort.  Lucilia 
found  dinner  without  him  very  dull,  as  she  took  an  op- 
portunity of  whispering  very  pointedly  to  her  sister. 
This  was,  in  fact,  rather  strange,  for  Aurelius,  whose 
tongue  seemed  to  have  been  loosed  by  the  reading  of 
the  heroic  poem,  displayed  the  greatest  aptitude  for  all 
the  accomplishments  of  social  life.  The  triclinium  posi- 
tively sparkled  with  good  humor,  even  Lucilia  belied 
herself,  for  more  than  once  she  broke  out  into  a  merry 
laugh,  the  very  reverse  of  dull.  Herodianus,  who  had 
come  to  escort  his  master  home,  and  who  had  the  honor 
of  being  invited  to  share  the  meal,  was  astonished  at  the 
brilliancy  o£  the  young  man,  who  was  usually  so  silent, 
and  glanced  suspiciously  at  the  crystal  cup,  as  if  that 
might  be  accountable  for  so'strange  a  phenomenon.  And 
Baucis  swore  by  the  great  I  sis,  that  never  in  her  life  had 
she  known  a  Roman  knight  with  such  delightful  qualities 


CLAUDIUS. 

as  Aurelius,  who  had  a  kind  word  even  for  her,  a  stupid 
old  woman,  and  who  read  poetry  so  divinely. 

The  Batavian  took  his  leave  about  mid-day ;  he  sent 
his  respectful  greetings  through  Octavia  to  the  master  of 
the  house,  fearing  to  disturb  so  busy  a  personage  at  this 
hour  of  the  day. 

"  And  what  next  ?"  cried  Lucilia,  as  the  door  closed 
upon  Aurelius.  "  Shall  we  lie  down  to  sleep,  sweet 
Claudia,  or  order  the  litter  to  go  to  the  Campus  Mar- 
tius?"-» 

"Just  which  you  please.  The  day  is  fine,  and  we 
might  walk  for  an  hour  under  the  colonnade  of 
Agrippa."  *" 

"Will  you  come  with  us,  dear  mother?"  asked 
Lucilia. 

"  How  can  I,"  said  Octavia  smiling.  "  I  must  be 
on  the  spot,  when  your  father  leaves  his  work.  If  you 
are  not  content  to  go  alone,  Baucis  may  .  .  .  .  " 

"  Oh  no,  no !"  interrupted  Claudia.  "  The  worthy 
Baucis  may  remain  at  home.  When  we  get  into  the 
laurel  groves301  we  shall  walk,  and  Baucis  is  so  slow 
that  she  would  be  a  hindrance." 

The  litter  was  soon  ready.  Four  Numidians,  with 
waving  feathers  in  their  heads,  marched  in  front,  and 
they  proceeded  northwards,  by  the  same  way  which 
Quintus  had  taken  two  days  since,  in  the  moonless 
night. 

399.  CAMPUS  MARTIUS.  ITie  name  given  to  the  public  pleas- 
ure grounds  in  the  north-western  part  of  Rome.  Strabo  describes 
them  minutely.  (V.  3.) 

300.  COLONNADE  OP  AGRIPPA.     The  most  renowned  object 
in  the  Campus  Martius  was  the  hundred-columned  portico  of  Vipsa- 
nius  Agrippa. 

301.  LAURKL  GROVES.    Within  Agrippa's-  colonnade  were  laurel 
and  plane-groves.    (Mart.  Ep.  I,  108,  etc.) 


QUINTUS   CLAUDIUS.  219 

"I  am  glad  that  we  left  Baucis  at  home,"  said 
Claudia  in  Greek.  "  We  can  talk  undisturbed  for  once. 
You  are  so  dreadfully  sleepy,  when  we  go  to  bed  .  .  .  .  " 

"And  with  good  reason,"  replied  Lucilia,  also  in 
Greek.  "  I  am  tired  out  and  over-excited.  The  amuse- 
ments of  the  last  few  days  are  telling  on  my  nerves. 
First,  there  was  the  evening  at  Cornelia's ;  then  a  recita- 
tion for  two  hours  from  the  charming  Claudia  on  the 
merits  of  Caius  Aurelius  .  .  .  .  " 

"  I  beg  your  pardon,  but  you  are  reversing  the  posi- 
tion. It  was  mistress  Lucilia,  who  went  on  talking  about 
Caius  Afranius." 

"  Indeed !  and  why  ?  Simply  and  solely  as  a  coun- 
terpoise, an  antidote  to  Aurelius.  Besides,  with  your 
kind  permission,  his  name  is  not  Caius,  but  Cneius 
Afranius.  Of  course,  you  have  nothing  but  Caius  run- 
ning in  your  head." 

"  That  is  just  like  you  now,"  said  Claudia  with  a 
sigh.  "  Lately  there  has  been  no  speaking  a  rational 
word  to  you." 

"  I  am  over-tired,"  Lucilia  repeated.  "  Two  cantos 
of  Statius  yesterday  morning,  two  more  again  this  mom- 
ing  ;  to-morrow,  two  cantos  of  Statius,  that  involves  a 
fourth !  It  is  a  mercy,  that  the  Thebais  consists  only  of 
twelve  altogether,  so  it  must  come  to  an  end  at  last ! 
Certainly,  when  we  have  done  Statius,  he  might  read  us 
Virgil  *•  and  afterwards  the  Battle  of  the  Frogs  and 
Mice."« 

302.  VIRGIL.    The  author  of  the  Aeneid  had  always  been  one  of 
the  most  popular  writers.     He  was  even  studied  in  the  schools,  as 
Schiller  is  in  Germany  at  the  present  day. 

303.  BATTLE  OF  THE  FROGS  AND  MICE,      (parpaxotivonaxi*) 
The  Battle  of  the  Frogs,  a  parody  upon  the  Iliad ;  falsely  attributed  to 
Homer,  and  probably  composed  by  Pigres  of  Halicarnassus. 


QU1HTITS   CLAUDIUS. 

"  Go,  Lucilia — you  are  quite  odious — and  I  wanted 
to  confess  something  to  you." 

"  A  confession  ?  my  darling  Claudia,  a  confession  ?" 
cried  Lucilia,  seizing  her  sister's  hand.  "  Will  you  own 
at  last  that  you  love  him  ?  That  you  are  a  perfect  fool 
about  him  ?  Oh!  silly  child!  did  you  not  perceive,  that 
I  only  wanted  to  punish  you  for  trying  to  deceive  me." 

Claudia  colored  deeply,  and  involuntarily  drew  the 
embroidered  curtain,  as  if  she  feared  that  the  litter-bear- 
ers might  read  her  secret  in  her  face. 

"  Not  so  loud !"  she  whispered,  and  -then  she  softly 
kissed  her  cheek. 

"  You  confess  ?"  asked  Lucilia.  But  the  only  an- 
swer was  a  closer  caress  and  a  fervent  kiss  on  her  lips. 

"  That  is  enough,"  said  Lucilia.  "  Your  kiss  says 
everything.  No  girl  gives  such  a  kiss  as  that,  who  is 
not  desperately  in  love.  It  was  meant  for  Caius  Aure- 
lius." 

"  Hush !"  Claudia  entreated,  laying  her  hand  on 
the  audacious  girl's  mouth.  "  Promise  me  .  ..." 

"  Not  to  mount  the  rostra304  and  proclaim  in  the 
Forum  :  Claudia  is  in  love  with  Aurelius !....?  You 
little  fool !  Just  the  reverse ;  I  will  keep  it  a  dead  secret, 
and  do  all  I  can  to  clear  the  road  for  you.  For  things 
will  not  run  so  smoothly  as  you  think.  A  mere  pro- 
vincial knight,  and  Claudia,  the  daughter  of  the  first  sen- 
atorial house  in  Rome !  You  cannot  take  it  ill  in  your 
father  if  he  maintains  the  rights  of  his  position,  and 
intends  his  daughter  to  marry  a  consul."  ** 

304.  ROSTRA.     The  name  of  the  orator's  platform,  adorned  with 
a  ship's  beak  (rostrum,  the  ship's  beak)  in  the  Forum  Rom  an  urn. 

305.  INTENDS  HIS  DAUGHTER  TO  MARRY  A  CONSUL.    Roman 
women  married  at  a  very  early  age,  therefore  in  the  nature  of  things, 
parents  mftft<*  the  rbr*ir'**  for  the  inexperienced  p**^      Thui  Junius 


QUINTUS   CLAUDIUS.  221 

"  But  if  his  daughter  objects  ?" 

"  Then  Titus  Claudius  must  give  way,  or  the  gentle 
Claudia  is  not  incapable  of  running  away  with  Caius 
Aurelius." 

"  What  are  you  saying !"  exclaimed  Claudia  horrified. 
Then  she  sat  looking  thoughtfully  into  her  lap. 

"  Do  you  suppose,"  she  said  presently,  "  that  his  al- 
lusion, yesterday,  to  Sextus  Furius  was  meant  seriously?" 

"  What  else  could  it  mean  ?  The  worthy  man  is 
three  times  too  old  for  you,  to  be  sure,  but  the  names  of 
his  ancestors  have  been  splendid  for  centuries.  Only 
think  of  Furius  Camillus,  the  glorious  conqueror  of  the 
Volscians  and  Aequians.  Sextus  Furius,  to  be  sure,  has 
conquered  no  insurgent  nations,  but  the  consulate  un- 
doubtedly lies  before  him,  and  his  wealth  is  enormous." 

"  Ah  !"  sighed  Claudia.  "  We  Roman  girls  have  a 
bad  time  of  it.  How  rarely  do  we  have  a  free  choice 
in  the  tie  which  lasts  one's  life-long  !  A  stern  father  or 
guardian  brings  a  husband  on  the  scene,  before  our 
hearts  have  a  chance  of  deciding.  Such  a  betrothal  as 
that  of  Quintus  and  Cornelia  is  as  rare  as  a  white  raven. 

Mauricus  requested  the  younger  Pliny,  to  propose  a  husband  for  the 
daughter  of  his  brother  Junius  Rusticus  Arulenus.  (See  Book  II, 
P-  55-)  Pliny  (Ep.  I,  14)  recommends  his  friend  Minucius  Acilianus, 
and  in  a  quiet,  business-like  manner  enumerates  his  excellent  qualities, 
among  which  he  does  not  forget  to  mention  a  considerable  fortune. 
To  be  sure,  the  daughter's  formal  consent  was  necessary.  The  young 
girls  of  our  story,  by  the  way,  out  of  respect  for  our  modern  ideas,  are 
described  as  young  girls  at  an  age,  when  Romans  were  usually 
married  women.  For  the  ordinary  marriageable  age,  see  Friedlan- 
der's  detailed  description  in  the  appendix  to  the  first  part  of  his 
"  Sittcng esc hiehte, "  where  he  gives  a  number  of  inscriptions  taken 
from  the  tombs,  where  the  age  of  the  girl  at  the  time  of  her  marriage 
is  either  directly  stated,  or  may  be  ascertained  by  deducting  the  years 
of  marriage  from  those  of  life.  Twelve  of  the  w'ives  mentioned,  "mar- 
ried before  they  were  fourteen,  four  at  fourteen,  three  at  sixteen,  one 
at  nineteen,  and  one  at  twenty-five.  We  are,  however,  expressly  told 
that  marriages  of  girls  under  twelve  were  by  no  means  rare. 


222  QUINTUS   CLAUDIUS. 

How  beautiful,  how  honest  by  comparison  is  the  custom 
in  the  North,  where  the  lover  first  wins  the  affection  of 
a  girl,  and  then  seeks  the  approval  of  her  parents. 
Aurelius  has  told  me  wonderful  stories  of  the  fidelity  of 
the  tawny-haired  Rugian  to  the  wife  of  his  choice,  and 
of  how  the  treasure  is  often  won  in  fights  to  the  death, 
after  years  of  constancy.  It  must  be  glorious  to  be 
loved  and  wooed  in  that  northern  fashion !  Do  you 
know  that  Aurelius  has  some  Germanic  blood  in  his 
veins ?" 

"  Indeed?"  said  Lucilia  surprised. 

"  Yes,  really.  His  grandmother  was  a  Frisian,  from 
the  shores  of  the  Baltic,  where  the  Weser  falls  into  the 
sea.  There  are  large  and  wealthy  families  among  them, 
valiant  warriors  and  chiefs,  who  will  bow  their  necks  to 
no  Roman  consul.  If  only  they  were  of  one  mind, 
Aurelius  says,  Rome  herself  might  tremble  before  these 
tribes.  But,  strangely  enough,  though  in  their  family 
life  they  are  so  loving  and  constant,  their  feuds  are 
perennial,  tribe  against  tribe  and  prince  against  prince. 
It  is  only  under  stress  of  imminent  peril,  that  they  league 
themselves  under  one  banner,  and  woe  then  to  the  foe 
they  turn  upon!  You  have  read  of  Varus3"6  and  how 
his  legions  were  cut  to  pieces  in  the  Saltus  Teutobur- 
giensis,  while  he  fell  on  his  own  sword  ?" 

"  Yes,  Baucis  has  told  us  the  story.  But  after  all  — 
who  cares  what  goes  on  in  Germania!  —  our  legions  are 
constantly  engaged  in  fighting  on  the  frontier,  now 
against  the  Dacians  and  now  against  the  Parthians3"7 — 

306.  VARUS.    The  famous  victory  of  the  Germans  over  Quin- 
tilius  Varus  occurred  in  the  year  9,  A.  D. 

307.  PARTHIANS.    A  people  who  lived  south  of  the  Caspian  sea. 
Their  territory  afterwards  extended  to  the  Euphrates.     The  Romans 
bad  numerous  feuds  with  this  nation. 


QUINTUS   CLAUDIUS.  223 

I  do  not  trouble  myself  about  the  where  and  the  why. 
Moral  struggles,  the  battles  we  must  fight  at  home,  in- 
U-rot  me  far  more  .  .  .  .  " 

"  Particularly  the  law  pleadings  in  the  Senate,  and 
before  the  court  of  the  Centumvirate !"  said  Claudia 
smiling. 

"  Certainly !  out  there,  brute  force  decides  the  matter, 
but  in  the  Forum  it  is  superior  intellect  that  wins  the 
day." 

"  And  one  of  the  boldest  champions  is  Cneius 
Afranius." 

"It  is  quite  true;  his  whole  individuality,  his  un- 
daunted honesty,  his  unfailing  energy  .  .  .  .  " 

"  Hey  day !  what  eloquence.  Before  long  we  shall 
see  you  in  the  Basilica  among  the  candidates  for  ap- 
plause." 

"  Laugh  away,  by  all  means !     I  assert  my  right 
and  liberty  to  admire  all  that  is  noble.     If  I  were  better' 
looking,  I  should  very  likely  exert  myself  to  achieve  a 
conquest,  for  I  frankly  confess  that  I  regard  the  future 
wife  of  Afranius  as  a  woman  to  be  envied." 

"  You  are  frank  indeed." 

"  I  always  am.  And  I  find  it  all  the  easier,  since  1 
do  not  allow  my  consciousness  of  my  defects  to  destroy 
my  peace  of  mind.  The  Gods  are  unjust  ?  For  aught 
1  care!  You  have  a  mouth  like  a  rose-bud,  I  have  a 
muzzle  like  a  Cantabrian  bear!308  Fate  we  call  that,  or 
Ananke!*09 —  Well,  it  is  a  lovely  day  for  us  both 

308.  CANTABRIAN  BEAR.      Cantabria.  the  mountainous  region 
in  the  north  of  Spain,  supplied  most  of  the  bears  for  the  Roman  wild- 
beast  combats. 

309.  ANANKE  (Avdy*^)  personifies,  like  the  Latin  Fatum,  the  idea, 
that  in  every  event  which  happens,  there  is  an  unalterable  necessity,  to 
which  not  only  human  beings,  but  even  the  gods  are  subject. 


224  QUINTUS  CLAUDIUS. 

alike !  Just  see  what  a  crowd  and  bustle  there  are  out 
here ;  I  think  we  had  better  walk.  There  is  the  portico 
with  its  hundred  columns." 

Claudia  stopped  the  bearers,  and  the  two  girls 
walked  on  to  the  magnificent  hall  of  Agrippa,  followed 
at  a  short  distance  by  the  Numidian  slaves.  Arm  in 
arm  they  walked  along  the  arcades,  by  the  famous 
mural  paintings,310  representing  in  the  highest  style  of 
art,  scenes  from  the  stories  of  the  Greek  divinities  —  the 
rape  of  Europa,  Cheiron  the  Centaur,  and  the  voyage  of 
the  Argonauts.  To  the  right  they  saw  the  marble  en- 
closures— Septa311  they  were  called — in  the  midst  of 
which  the  Roman  people  assembled  when  the  centuria3" 
were  called  upon  to  vote.  Lucilia  hoped  she  might 
one  day  be  present  at  some  stormy  debate  here.  Clau- 
dia found  it  more  interesting,  to  linger  over  the  gay 
booths3'3  and  bazaar  for  luxurious  trifles  at  the  northern 
end  of  the  portico,  where  the  precious  produce  of  the 
remotest  provinces  of  the  empire  was  displayed. 

310.  BY    THE    FAMOUS    MURAL  PAINTINGS.      See  Mart.  Ep. 
II,  14.  Ill,  20.  etc. 

311.  SEPTA.    See  Mart.  Ep.  II,  14  ;  IX,  59. 

312.  THE  CENTURIA.    Even  under  the  kings,  the  Romans  were 
divided   into  five    different  classes,   since    the    part  taken  by  each 
individual   in   government   affairs,   especially  concerning  taxes  and 
military  service,  depended  on  the  amount  of  his  property.     Each  of 
these  classes  consisted  of  a  certain  number  of  centurias,  for  instance, 
the  first  class  contained  eighty,  the  fifth  thirty,  etc.     Centuria  was 
the  name  originally  given  to  a  military  division  of  100  men.  then  to  a 
certain  number  of  citizens,  from  whose  midst  such  a  military  organi- 
zation could  be  formed.     These  centuries — in  a  civil  sense — voted  on 
public  affairs  in  the  comita  centuriata  (assembly  of  the  centuries)  each 
century  having  one  vote. 

313.  GAY  BOOTHS.     See  Mart.  Ep.  IX.  59.  v.  I: 
11  Mamiirra  many  hours  does  vagrant  tell, 

I'th'  shops,  where  Rome  her  richest  ware  does  sell." 

The  same  epigram  describes  the  goods  to  be  purchased  in  these 
booths;  slaves,  table-covers,  ivory  for  table  legs,  semicircular  dinner- 


QUINTUS    CLAUDIUS.  22$ 

Thus,  chatting  and  laughing,  they  reached  the  shady 
avenues  of  plane  and  laurel,  which  extended  almost  to 
the  shores  of  the  river  and,  with  their  temples,  columns, 
terraces  and  works  of  art,  were  the  scene  of  enjoyment 
for  a  numerous  throng  of  citizens.  Here  hundreds  of 
handsome  chariots — most  of  them  with  two  wheels — 
rushed  to  and  fro  on  a  broad  causeway ;  graceful  horse- 
men dashed  along  the  gravelled  way,  while  the  motley 
crowd  of  pedestrians  slowly  loitered  along  the  side  al 
leys.  Here  a  following  of  young  men  pressed  round 
the  litter  of  some  woman  of  rank ;  there  a  grave  and 
morose-looking  pedagogue  led  his  flock  to  a  grass-plot, 
where  boys  were  exercising  themselves  in  wrestling  or 
throwing  the  discus.3'4  Pairs  of  lovers  strolled  away 
hand  in  hand  to  remoter  bowers;  slaves — male  and  fe- 
male—  with  their  owners'  children,  crowded  round  a 
juggler's  booth,  applauding  the  skill  with  which  Masth- 
lion  3'5  balanced  a  heavy  pole  on  his  bare  forehead,  01 
the  strength  Minus3'6  displayed  in  supporting  half  a 

couches  (called  Siema  from  their  shape  resembling  the  old  Greek  C) 
Corinthian  brass  (a  mixture  of  gold,  silver,  and  copper,  very  popular 
in  those  days)  crystal  goblets,  vasa  murrhina,  chased  silver  dishes, 
gems,  jewels,  etc.,  etc. 

314.  WRESTLING  OR  THROWING  THE  DISCUS.    Physical  exer- 
cises of  all  kinds  were  highly  esteemed  by  the  Romans.      Racing, 
wrestling,  and  throwing  the  discus  (a  flat,  circular  piece  of  stone  or 
iron)  were  specially  popular.     See  Hor.  Od.  I,  8  (saepf  disco,  saefe  tram 
fittem  jaculo  nobilis  expedite)  where  the  exercises  m  the  Campus  Mar- 
tius  are  mentioned. 

315.  MASTHLION'S  SKILL.    See  Mart  Ep.  V,  12: 

"  That  the  haughty  MasthJion  now, 
Wields  such  weights  on  perched  brow." 

316.  NINUS'S  STRENGTH.    See  Mart  Ep.  V,  12  : 

"  Or  that  Ninus  finds  his  praise, 
With  each  hand  eight  boys  to  raise." 

Giants,  as  well  as  dwarfs,  and  monstrosities  of  every  kind  were  ex- 
tremely popular  in  Rome.  They  were  even  frequently  kept  in  aristo- 

fW  I.  15 


126  QUINTUS   CLAUDIUS. 

dozen  boys  upon  his  shoulders.  Among  the  mob  a 
legion  of  fruit  and  cake  sellers  wriggled  and  squeezed 
themselves ;  fortune-tellers  twitched  at  the  robe  of  the 
passer-by,  urgently  pressing  their  services  on  them; 
shipwrecked  sailors  sat  begging  by  the  wayside,  with 
tablets  on  their  knees3'7  relating  the  history  of  their  woes ; 
flute-players  piped  their  latest  tunes  from  Gades  j  dark 
Egyptians  exhibited  tame  snakes,  which  twined  round 
the  body,  neck  and  arms  of  the  owner  to  the  measure 
of  a  dismal  tom-tom. 

Lucilia  and  Claudia  followed  the  shady  alley,  that 
ran  parallel  to  the  main  road,  greatly  amused  at  the 
dazzling,  noisy  and  ever-new  scenes  that  met  them  at 
every  turn. 

"  Supposing  we  should  meet  your  Aurelius — "  said 
Lucilia. 

"  My  Aurelius !  My  sweet  child,  pray  do  not  get 
into  the  habit  of  saying  such  things." 

"Well,  then  — Caius  Aurelius." 

"  It  is  not  likely.  He  rarely  comes  now  to  the 
plain  of  Mars." 

"  Indeed.  What  has  he  to  attend  to  of  so  much  im- 
portance." 

"  He  is  studying  hard ;  and  for  the  last  few  days  he 
has  been  a  good  deal  with  Cornelius  Cinna,  who  gener- 
ally admits  him  at  this  hour.  Cinna  thinks  very  highly 
of  him." 

"  Well,  for  my  part,  I  must  confess  I  should  prefer  a 

cratic  families  as  slaves  and  jesters.  See  Mart  Ep.  VII.  38.  where  a 
gigantic  slave  of  Severus  is  mentioned.  According  to  Plutarch.  Rome 
had  a  special  market  for  monsters  (»j  ruf  i-cpai-up  ayopa)  where  persons 
crippled  in  all  kinds  of  ways  were  offered  for  sale.  As  the  business 
was  lucrative,  certain  deformities  were  artificially  produced. 

317.  TABLETS  ON  THEIR  KNEES.  See  Hor.  Ej>ist.  ad  Pis.,  19, 
etc. 


QUINTUS   CLAUDIUS.  227 

ride  here  under  the  green  trees,  to  all  the  harangues  of 
that  perverse  old  man." 

"  Aurelius  finds  him  most  interesting;  he  considers 
him  quite  a  genius." 

"  What  next  ? —  A  genius  in  the  art  of  seeing  the 
whole  world  black  I" 

"  Nay,  quite  seriously.  Cinna  is  initiating  Caius 
into  the  mysteries  of  state-craft,  teaching  him  philoso- 
phy and  history.  Caius  said,  that  in  the  few  hours  he 
had  been  permitted  to  converse  with  Cinna,  he  had 
learnt  more  than  in  many  years  of  solitary  study." 

"Well;  then  our  Caius — you  yourself  called  him 
simply  Caius — will  soon  begin  to  wrinkle  his  brows  and 
to  scent  ruin  and  misery  in  everything.  Do  you  know, 
child,  this  Cinna  .  .  .  .  " 

She  broke  off  suddenly,  for  some  one  called  her  by 
name ;  she  looked  round  and  saw  Quintus,  who  came 
out  from  among  the  trees. 

"  Well  ?  Are  you  often  to  be  met  out  here  ?  And 
always  close  to  the  highway  !  You  must  take  an  extra- 
ordinary interest  in  fine  horses  .  .  .  .  " 

"  We  do  indeed !"  said  Lucilia  pertly.  "  For  in- 
stance, look  at  that  noble  grey  just  now  turning  into  the 
avenue.  What  a  head !  what  a  mane !" 

Claudia  squeezed  her  saucy  sister's  arm,  for  the  rider, 
who  came  galloping  towards  them,  was  none  other  than 
Caius  Aurelius.  By  his  side  rode  Herodianus,  rather 
roughly  exercised  on  a  tall,  high-stepping  steed;  his 
empurpled  face  betrayed  but  little  liking  for  the  per- 
formance. Aurelius,  by  contrast,  looked  all  the  more 
radiant,  guiding  his  noble  horse  as  if  it  were  child's- 
play  among  the  throng  of  vehicles,  and  enjoying  to  the 
utmost  the  sense  of  power  and  security. 

'?* 


228  QU1NTUS   CLAUDIUS. 

He  now  caught  sight  of  Claudia,  and  the  Mood 
mounted  to  his  brow.  He  was  so  much  occupied  in 
looking  at  the  two  girls,  to  whom  he  bowed  in  agitated 
confusion,  that  he  did  not  notice,  that  one  of  the  very 
small  horses,  called  by  the  Romans  "mannie,"3'8  was 
rushing  towards  him  like  an  arrow.  Its  rider,  a  boy  of 
about  twelve,  tried  to  turn  the  pony's  head,  but  not  soon 
enough  to  avoid  the  grey,  which  tossed  its  head  aside. 
So  the  pony's  mane  just  tickled  the  horse's  lower  jaw, 
and  the  boy  only  escaped  a  violent  collision  by  duck- 
ing widely  on  one  side.  The  Batavian's  horse,  at  all 
times  an  irritable  beast,  gave  an  ominous  snort,  and 
reared  straight  up,  trembling  in  every  muscle,  and  in  the 
next  instant  would  inevitably  have  fallen  backwards  if 
Quintus  had  not  made  a  bold  leap  over  the  brushwood, 
seized  the  horse  by  the  bridle,  and  after  a  short  struggle 
brought  him  to  a  stand-still  on  all  fours  again.  Herodi- 
anus,  meanwhile,  who  was  frightened  out  of  his  senses, 
was  thrown  up  from  his  saddle  by  a  sudden  spring  of  his 
steed,  and  reseated  in  front  of  it ;  he  threw  his  arms 
round  the  beast's  neck,  and  remained  a  comical  picture 
of  woe.  After  Quintus  had  quieted  the  Batavian's  ex- 
cited grey,  he  came  to  the  freedman's  help. 

"  By  Jove  the  avenger !"  cried  Herodianus,  shuffling 
back  into  his  saddle  with  much  difficulty,  "  this  wild 
horse  of  the  Sun3*9  was  within  a  hair's  breadth  of  tramp- 

318.  MANNIE.     Such  ponies  are    mentioned    by  Lucr.,  Hor.. 
Prop.,  and  Sen.     They  were  distinguished  for  speed.    The  word  is 
of  Celtic  origin. 

319.  THIS  WILD  HORSE  OF  THE  SUN.     Herodianus  alludes  to 
the  steeds  of  Helios  and  the  fate  of  Phaethon.  who  obtained  his  father's 
permission  to  guide  the  chariot  of  the  Sun  one  day  in  his  stead,  but 
had  so  little  control  over  the  unruly  steeds,  that  to  save  the  earth  from 
burning,  Zeus  was  compelled  to  slay  him  with  a  thunderbolt  and  hurl 
him  from  the  chariot  intu  the  river  fclridanus. 


QUINTUS  CLAUDIUS.  229 

ling  me  under  his  hoofs.  Thanks,  earnest  and  warmest 
thanks,  heroic  Quintus  Claudius !  I  will  drink  a  dozen 
bowls  to  your  health  this  evening." 

"  I  have  to  thank  you  too,"  said  Aurelius  with  feel- 
ing. If  it  is  ever  in  my  power  to  render  you  such  a  ser- 
vice   " 

"By  all  the  gods!"  said  Quintus.  "It  might  be 
supposed  .  .  .  .  " 

"  Nay,  but  I  saw  how  close  my  horse's  hoofs  were 
to  your  head." 

"  Really  ?  However,  do  you  know  who  the  little 
dare-devil  was  who  shot  by  you  at  such  a  pace  ?  That 
was  Burrhus,  the  son  of  Parthenius ;  *°  a  scatter-brained 
little  rascal.  He  inherits  it  from  his  mother." 

"Burrhus? — the  boy  that  Martial  praises  so  ex- 
travagantly ?" 

"  The  very  same.  He  flatters  the  son,  and  so 
touches  the  father." 

"  Well,  if  he  hears  that  Burrhus  nearly  rode  me  down, 
it  may  perhaps  afford  him  materials  for  fresh  adulation. 
I,  at  any  rate,  have  reason  to  be  glad  that  his  heroic  at- 
tempt was  not  altogether  successful ;  that  I  owe  to  you, 
my  valiant  and  fearless  friend !  As  I  say,  if  ever  you 
are  in  a  position  .  .  .  .  " 

"  Say  no  more  about  such  a  trifle,  I  beg  of  you," 
said  Quintus.  "  Though  indeed,"  he  added  smiling, 
"  it  is  not  impossible,  that  I  may  claim  your  kind  offices 
sooner  than  you  expect,  though  not  as  a  return  for  my 
performances  as  a  horse-tamer." 

"  I  am  happy  to  hear  it.  Come  when  you  will,  I 
am  entirely  at  your  disposal." 

w.  BURRHUS,  THE  SON  OF  PARTHENIUS.  See  Mart.  Ep.t  IV, 


230  QUINTUS  CLAUDIUS. 

"Very  well  (hen,"  said  Quintus  with  emphasis; 
"expect  me  this  evening  by  the  end  of  the  second 
vigil." 

"  Unfortunately  I  am  engaged  at  that  hour." 

"  Later  then,  an  hour  before  midnight  ?" 

"  That  will  do ;  I  will  expect  you,"  said  Aurelius. 

The  two  girls  had  stood  quite  still  during  this  short 
dialogue.  Claudia  was  still  struggling  with  the  remains 
of  her  agitation,  even  Lucilia  had  turned  pale.  Aurelius 
now  stammered  out  a  confused  apology,  bid  them  fare- 
well, and  set  spurs  to  his  horse,  while  the  freedman 
dragged  with  all  his  might  at  the  wolf's-tooth  bit3*1  of 
his  hard-mouthed  jade.  They  vanished  in  the  crowd, 
Aurelius  as  straight  and  free  as  a  young  centaur,  and 
his  companion  like  a  clumsy  bale  of  goods  incessantly 
tossed  and  jolted. 

"  You  are  a  fine  fellow !"  cried  Claudia,  clasping 
her  brother's  hand  with  eager  emotion.  "  What 
strength,  what  courage,  what  promptitude !  Oh  !  my 
heart  nearly  stood  still  with  terror,  when  the  rearing 
brute's  hoofs  hung  just  above  your  head — I  shall  never 
forget  it !" 

"  I  am  sure  I  am  very  much  obliged  to  you,  my 
dear  little  sister.  It  is  a  long  time,  since  I  last  heard 
you  speak  to  me  in  such  an  enthusiastic  key.  Confess, 
Claudia — the  fact  that  the  rider's  name  happened  to  be 
Caius  Aurelius,  does  not  diminish  your  ardent  apprecia- 
tion of  the  feat  ?" 

"  You  may  laugh  at  me,  if  you  will.  I  respect  and 
admire  you,  and  forgive  all  your  former  sins." 

321.  WOLF'S-TOOTH  BIT  (lupatafrena)  a  curb  furnished  with  iron 
points  shaped  like  a  wolfs  tooth,  used  for  hard-mouthed  horses.  See 
Hor.  Od.  I,  8,  6 ;  Nee  lupatis  temperat  orafrenis  .... 


QUINTUS    CLAUDIUS.  231 

"  Are  you  coming  with  us  ?"  asked  Lucilia. 

"  For  ten  minutes ;  then  I  must  turn  back  again. 
Clodianus  expects  me  at  the  Baths." 

"  And  where  do  you  dine  to-day  ?"  asked  Claudia. 

"  With  Cinna." 

"  It  is  a  long  time  since  you  dined  with  us." 

"  I  will  to-morrow,  if  it  is  convenient.  I  will  see 
whether  he  will  allow  me  to  bring  Cornelia  with 
me " 

"  Hardly,"  said  Lucilia.  "  Since  the  day  before  yes- 
terday he  has  been  in  a  desperately  bad  humor.  This 
morning  early  I  had  a  note  from  Cornelia,  begging  me  to 
go  and  rescue  her  from  the  depths  of  melancholy." 

"  What  does  Cornelia  wish  for  ?"  said  Quintus. 
"  In  my  presence  she  is  always  cheerfulness  itself." 

"  That  is  the  magic  of  love,"  replied  Lucilia.  "  Its 
charms  conquer  all  griefs." 

"  You  seem  highly  experienced !" 

"  Theory — pure  theory." 

They  walked  on  towards  the  river.  There  they 
stood  for  a  few  minutes,  watching  the  boats  and  gon- 
dolas, which  gently  drifted  down  to  the  Aelian  bridge 
or  struggled  up  stream  under  the  stout  strokes  of  the 
oarsmen.  Beyond  the  opposite  shore  the  beauti- 
ful hills,  strewn  with  gardens  and  villas,  smiled  inviting- 
ly down  on  them,  and  farther  off  still  rose  the  five 
peaks  of  Soracte.323 

"They  will  soon  be  crowned  with  snow,"  sighed 
Claudia, 

"  Yes,   it   is   wearing  into   autumn,"  said  Quintus. 


322.  SORACTE.    A  mountain  north  of  Rome.     See  Varro  R.  R. 
,  3,  3;  Virg.  Acn.  VI,  696,  Hor.  OJ.  I,  9  fa/fa  nivccandidum.) 


23*  QUINTUS   CLAUDIUS. 

"  But  now,  my  children,  you  must  amuse  yourselves 
without  me.  Till  we  meet  to-morrow." 

"  You  fellows,'*  said  Claudia,  turning  to  the  Numid- 
ians,  when  Quintus  was  lost  in  the  crowd.  '•  Do  you 
know  what  ?  You  ought  to  be  ashamed  of  yourselves, 
down  to  the  very  ground.  If  it  had  not  been  for  Quin- 
tus, Aurelius  would  have  been  under  the  horse's  hoofs. 
Cowards !  By  the  gods,  but  I  am  minded  to  have  you 
punished,  that  you  may  remember  this  hour !" 

The  Africans  opened  their  wide  thick  mouths,  and 
stared  at  their  mistress  as  if  some  marvel  had  happened. 
None  of  her  slaves  had  ever  heard  such  words  before 
from  Claudia's  lips. 

"  That  comes  of  her  being  betrothed  to  that  rich 
Furius,"  whispered  one  of  them.  "  I  always  told  you, 
that  the  gentlest  turn  haughty  when  there  is  a  husband 
in  sight." 


CHAPTER  XVIII. 

IT  was  dark.  In  the  dining-room  of  Cneius 
Afranius  a  small  party  had  just  risen  from  table.  Six 
guests  had  shared  the  modest  meal — men  differing  in 
age  and  position,  but  agreed  in  feeling,  unanimous  in 
their  hatred  of  the  imperial  reign  of  terror,  and  alike  in 
courage  and  strength  of  character.  During  the  meal 
none  but  commonplace  topics  were  discussed,  con- 
vinced as  Afranius  was  of  the  fidelity  of  his  slaves ;  un- 
der Domitian's  rule,  suspiciousness  had  risen  to  the  dig- 
nity of  a  virtue.  Even  the  commissatio — the  friendly 
cup  which,  in  accordance  with  time-honored  custom, 


\  QUINTUS   CLAUDIUS.  233 

closed  the  meal — lent  no  impetus  to  the  conversa- 
tion. Each  one  was  thinking  of  the  discussion,  that 
was  now  to  follow. 

They  all  went  into  the  colonnade,  if  the  small  and 
unpretending  court-yard  deserved  the  name.  Cneius 
Afranius,  the  son  of  a  poor  family  of  knightly  rank  of 
Gallia  Lugdunensis,  »  would  probably  have  been  ob- 
liged to  start  on  his  career  in  Rome  as  a  mere  lodger  in 
hired  rooms,  but  that  a  childless  friend  of  his  father's  had 
bequeathed  to  him  a  small  legacy,3*4  which  enabled  him 
to  purchase  a  little  house,  which  had  formerly  belonged 
to  a  seaman,  on  the  right  bank  of  the  Tiber,  and  in  the 
midst  of  a  very  humble  quarter. »  The  situation  was 
crowded  and  almost  squalid,  and  the  little  villa  was 
only  rendered  rather  less  unattractive,  by  the  visible  care 
bestowed  on  its  arrangement  by  its  new  owner,  and  yet 
more  by  the  pretty  little  garden  in  its  peristyle.  Afrani- 
us was  very  conscious  of  its  defects,  but  they  did  not 
distress  him.  That  painful  sensitiveness,  which  tor- 
ments many  men  in  narrow  circumstances,  when  inter- 
course with  other  men  of  greater  wealth  reminds  them 
of  their  poverty,  was  unknown  to  him.  And  as  his 
dress  was  always  in  the  best  style,  though  of  plain  ma- 


323.  GALLIA   LUGDUNENSIS.      Lugdunian   Gaul  (Gallia  Lug- 
duitfttsis,  so  called  from  the  principal  city  Lugdunum.  now  Lyons) 
extended  from  the  Seine  (Sequaua)  to  the  Garonne  (Garumna)  and 
westward  to  the  Atlantic  Ocean.     On  the  south,  it  was  separated  from 
the  Mediterranean  by  Narbonensian  Gaul. 

324.  BEQUEATHED  TO  HIM  A  SMALL  LEGACY.     Legacies  be- 
queathed by  childless  persons  to  those  not  connected  by  ties  of  blood, 
played  a  very  important   part   in   the  society  under  the  emperors. 
Legacy-hunting  thrived  greatly  in  consequence  of  its  frequent  occur- 
rence. 

325.  IN    THE     MIDST    OF    A    VERY    HUMBLE     QUARTER.       The 

right  bank  of  the  Tiber,  in  the  (14)  district,  which  bore  the  name 
'Trans  Tiberim,"  was  inhabited  exclusively  by  tradesfolk,  sailors,  etc. 


234  QUINTUS   CLAUDIUS. 

terials,  those  who  met  him  elsewhere  than  in  his  own 
house  supposed  him  to  be  well-to-do ;  this  impression 
was  partly  the  result  of  his  general  appearance  and  de- 
meanor. Aurelius,  who  had  crossed  his  threshold  to- 
day for  the  first  time,  thought  as  he  entered  the  vestibule, 
that  he  must  have  made  a  mistake ;  it  seemed  impossi- 
ble that  the  self-possessed,  easy-mannered  Afranius 
could  live  in  so  humble  a  dwelling. 

The  six  men  went  slowly  and  in  order  from  the  din- 
ing room  to  the  study.  First  came  the  tall  figure  of  tjie 
grey-haired  Marcus  Cocceius  Nerva,  leaning  on  the  arm 
of  Ulpius  Trajanus ;  Publius  Cornelius  Cinna  followed 
with  Caius  Aurelius,  and  last  came  the  host  with  an  old 
centurion,  who  had  long  served  in  the  wars  in  Germania 
and  Dacia,  and  had  lost  his  left  arm  in  the  service. 
Now,  robbed  by  Domitian  of  a  pension  which  had  for- 
merly been  granted  to  him,  he  had  for  years  earned  his 
living  wearily  as  a  teacher  in  an  elementary  school  kept 
by  a  retired  physician,  until  Ulpius  Trajanus  had 
granted  the  veteran  free  quarters  in  his  own  house. 

The  slaves  were  now  strictly  enjoined  to  admit  no 
one  to  disturb  the  party,  and  Momus,  the  confidential 
servant  of  Afranius,  posted  himself  at  the  door  of  the 
room,  that  no  eavesdropping  intruder  might  come  too 
near. 

"  My  friends,"  began  Marcus  Cocceius  Nerva,  when 
they  were  all  seated,  "  we  have  met  expressly  to  hold 
pregnant  and  momentous  council.  Our  aim  is  to  find 
the  ways  and  means  of  at  last  carrying  into  effect  the 
steps,  which  we  have  been  deliberating  on  for  many 
months.  The  reign  of  terror  of  Domitian  has  from  the 
first  been  well-nigh  unendurable,  and  now  his  outrages, 
his  unblushing  insolence,  have  reached  a  pitch  at  which 


QUINTUS   CLAUDIUS.  235 

our  very  blood  curdles  in  our  veins.  Two  days  since, 
we  all  heard  from  Cinna  of  the  incredible  insults  offered 
by  Caesar  to  the  most  illustrious  members  of  the  Senate 
and  of  the  knightly  order;  since  then  other  outrages 
have  come  to  our  ears.  If  Titus336  once  declared  that 
he  regarded  a  day  as  lost,  in  which  he  had  done  no  good 
action,  this,  his  degenerate  brother,327  accounts  each  day 
as  misspent,  in  which  he  has  not  trampled  justice  under- 
foot, and  crowned  tyranny  with  boastful  insolence. 
You  all  knew  Junius  Rusticus;3"8  he  was  an  excellent 
man,  experienced  in  every  branch  of  learning,  generous, 
and  of  the  loftiest  morality.  This  illustrious  philosopher 
was,  yesterday,  crucified.  And  why,  my  friends,  why? 
Because  he  dared  to  assert  that  Paetus  Thrasea,  Nero's 
noble  victim,  was  a  man  of  blameless  character.  For 
this,  and  this  alone,  Junius  Rusticus  died  the  death  of 
the  basest  assassin." 

A  gloomy  murmur  rose  from  the  audience.  All, 
with  the  exception  of  Aurelius,  already  knew  the  facts, 
but  they  sounded  with  renewed  horror  from  the  lips  of 
the  venerable  man. 

"  Nor  is  this  all,"  Cocceius"  went  on.  "  A  second 
crime  almost  throws  the  murder  of  Rusticus  into  the 
shade.  Not  long  since  a  man  of  fortune  named  Cae- 
pio,339  of  the  order  of  Equites,  died  here.  His  heiress 
was  his  niece,  a  young  girl  of  about  fourteen.  How- 
ever, a  man  was  found,  who  would  declare  openly  that 

326.  TITUS.     The  brother  and  predecessor  of  Domitian. 

327.  THE  FLAVII  had  come  into  possession  of  the  government 
with  Vespasian,  the  father  of  Titus  and  Uomitian.     The  latter's  full 
name  was:  Titus  Flavius  Domitianus  Augustus. 

328.  JUNIUS  RCSTICUS.     See  Suet.  Dam.  10;  DioCass.  LXV1I. 
13- 

329.  CAEPIO.    Suet.  Dom.  9,  mentions  a  man  of  this  name. 


236  oriNirs  CLAUDIUS. 


in  Caepio's  lifetime  he  had  frequently  heard  him 
that  Caesar  was  to  inherit  his  fortune.5*  On  the 
strength  of  this  lie,  the  property  was  unhesitatingly  ap- 
propriated. The  hapless  girl,  alone  and  inexperienced, 
fell  into  infamy.  Sunk  in  wickedness,  crushed  by  shame 
and  sickness,  a  few  days  since  she  placed  herself  in  the 
way,  as  Caesar  was  being  borne  to  the  Forum.  She 
lifted  up  her  hands  to  the  throne  on  which  he  was  car- 
ried, and  cried  in  desperate  accents  for  justice.  She 
was  seized  by  the  body-guard,  and  flogged  to  death 
this  morning." 

"  Death  to  her  murderer  !"  cried  Cinna,  shaking  his 
fists  in  the  direction  of  the  palace.  "  The  fate  of  this 
poor  child  may  fall  on  you,  O  Nerva  !  on  you,  Ulpius 
Trajanus,  on  you,  Cneius  Afranius.  In  the  empire  of 
this  tyrant  there  is  but  one  law  :  the  mad  whim  of  a 
blood-hound.  —  To-day  his  Falernian  has  gone  to  his 
head  —  a  beck,  a  nod,  and  the  daughters  of  our  noblest 
families  are  stolen331  for  his  pleasure.  To-morrow  he 
has  eaten  and  is  full  —  he  must  be  amused,  and  Rome 
breaks  out  in  flames.  Ah  !  hideous,  bottomless  pit  of 
disgrace  !  Decide  as  you  will,  my  resolution  is  taken. 
In  the  Senate,  in  the  Forum,  in  the  theatre  —  meet  him 
where  I  may  —  I  will  kill  him." 

"  Be  easy,  my  dear  friend,"  said  Cocceius.  "  You 
are  the  last  man,  who  would  ever  be  allowed  to  get  near 
enough.  The  suspicious  tyrant,  who  has  the  walls  of 

330.  CAESAR  WAS  TO  INHERIT  HIS  FORTUNE.    Sec  Suet.  Dam. 
13  :  "  Estates  to  which  the  emperor  had  no  claim  were  seized,  if  only 
some  one  could  be  found  to  declare  he  had  heard  the  deed  man, 
during  his  life-time,  say  that  the  Caesar  was  to  inherit  his  property." 

331.  THE  DAUGHTERS  OF  OUR  NOBLEST  FAMILIES  ARE  STOLEN. 

That  this  was  really  to  be  expected,  is  proved  by  the  incredible  descrip- 
tion Dto  Cassius  gives  us  of  Nero's  conduct,  (LX1I,  15.) 


QUINTUS    CLAUDIUS.  237 

his  sleeping-room  lined  with  mirrors,33*  so  that  he  may 
see  what  is  going  on  behind  him  —  he  will  know  how  to 
protect  himself  from  Cinna.  Besides,  never  let  us  stain 
our  just  cause  with  unnecessary  bloodshed !  The  goal, 
that  glimmers  before  us,  can  be  reached  without  the 
murder  of  Caesar.  If  the  revolted  nation  brings  him 
presently  before  the  judgment-seat  of  the  Senate,  he  will 
be  legally  condemned  tcr  death,  and  then  he  may  meet 
the  fate  he  has  merited  a  thousand  times  over.  But  we, 
whose  purpose  it  is  to  open  an  era  of  freedom  and  jus- 
tice, must,  whenever  it  is  in  any  way  possible,  keep  out 
hands  clean.  We  are  conspirators  against  his  throne, 
but  not  his  executioners." 

Muttered  words  of  approbation  assured  the  orator, 
that  he  spoke  the  feelings  of  his  friends.  Even  Cinna 
agreed. 

"  You  are  right,"  he  said  frowning.  "  You  are  al- 
ways clear  and  logical,  when  my  heart  seethes  with  rage. 
It  is  well,  my  worthy  colleagues,  that  you  did  not  put 
me  at  your  head.  I  am  good  in  action,  or  where  ener- 
getic decision  is  needed ;  but  in  the  history  of  the  world 
well-meditated  plans  and  calm  resolve  weigh  heavier  in 
the  scale." 

"  And  their  union  will  suffice  to  break  our  bonds," 
added  Afranius.  "  But  I  must  confess  I  am  burning  to 
know  how  Ulpius  has  solved  the  problem.  —  I  know 
how  I  should  solve  it  ...  ." 

"Well?"  asked  Ulpius  Trajanus.  "You  have  "al- 
ways been  the  silent  member  at  our  meetings.  Perhaps 
I  may  be  able  to  avail  myself  of  what  you  have  to  sug- 
gest, to  strengthen  my  own  web." 

332.  THE  SUSPICIOUS  TYRANT  WHO  HAS  .THE  WALLS  OF  HIS 

SJJEEPING-ROOM   LINED   WITH   MIRRORS.      See  Suet.  Dom.  14. 


238  QUINTUS   CLAUDIUS. 

"  What  I  have  to  say  is  very  little,  but  it  seems  to 
me  all  the  clearer  and  more  simple  for  that  very  reason. 
Rage,  hatred,  and  desperation  are  fermenting  in  every 
soul.  The  fuel  is  piled,  nothing  is  needed  but  the 
spark.  Let  us  fling  the  spark  in  among  the  masses, 
Let  us  boldly  and  unreservedly  call  the  people  of  Rome 
to  open  rebellion." 

"  Moderation  !"  exclaimed  Cocceius  Nerva.  "  Wild- 
ly as  our  hearts  may  throb,  let  us  take  no  step  which 
calm  wisdom  cannot  approve !  We  must  not  act  from 
sentiment !  You  are  in  error,  Afranius,  if  you  think  that 
the  populace,  which  clamors  for  bread  and  the  Circus, 
will  ever  feel  any  enthusiasm  for  liberty.  What  has 
this  rabble  of  idlers,  this  self-interested  mob,  that  lives 
on  the  largesse  of  the  State,  to  fear  from  Caesar? 
Lightning  blasts  oak-trees,  but  not  the  brushwood  that 
cumbers  the  ground.  Whether  Titus  or  Domitian  rules, 
whether  the  Senate  is  respected  or  insulted — it  is  all 
the  same  to  the  herd,  so  long  as  there  are  wrestling, 
running,  and  fighting  to  be  seen.  They  would  sell 
themselves  bodily  to  the  first  Barbarian,  who  would  buy 
them,  so  long  as  they  had  bread  and  amphitheatres,  and 
a  Sicambrian  is  just  as  good  in  their  eyes  as  the  di- 
rect descendants  of  Romulus.  Alas !  my  friends,  when 
I  look  out  on  the  scene  of  confusion  I  am  seized  with 
sudden  terror,  and  the  outlook  on  the  future  waxes  dim 
before  my  eyes.  This  indifference  and  want  of  patriot- 
ism is  spreading  on  all  sides ;  it  has  even  tainted  the 
army.  —  If  some  change  for  the  better  does  not  soon 
appear,  it  may  well  happen  that  this  haughty  city  may 
ere  long  crumble  into  ruins — aye,  my  friends,  into  ruins 
— destroyed  and  sacked  by  the  insolent  rout  of  Ger- 
pjanic  tribes,  who  are  already  thundering  at  our  gates.. 


QUINTUS   CLAUDIUS.  239 

They  will  overcome  the  small  remains  of  our  virtue  with 
the  sword,  and  the  vast  host  of  our  crimes  with  their 
gold." 

He  ceased ;  an  expression  of  deep  grief  clouded  his 
handsome  features.  Then,  turning  to  Afranius,  he  said: 
"  And  so  what  I  meant  to  say  was,  that  the  mob  of  thf 
capital  must,  come  what  may,  be  kept  out  of  the  game." 

"  You  say  the  mob,"  said  Afranius,  "  but  there  is  a 
class  closely  allied  with  the  mob  which,  though  smaL 
in  number,  is  all  the  greater  in  force,  high-mindedness , 
and  dignity.  Believe  me,  even  among  the  third  estate 
— among  the  fishermen  and  dealers,  the  artisans  anc? 
handicraftsmen,  there  still  are  Romans  to  be  found." 

"  Very  possibly.  But  large  schemes  cannot  take 
account  of  so  small  a  factor.  The  very  way  in  which 
the  State  has  developed,  has  thrown  the  chief  power 
into  the  hands  of  the  troops,  and  he  who  is  master  c{ 
the  soldiery,  is  master  of  Rome  and  the  Empire.  You 
know  how  completely  the  legions  in  the  provinces  are 
dependent  on  the  impression  of  an  accomplished  fact. 
It  can  scarcely  be  expected,  that  any  single  division  ol 
the  army  outside  the  walls  of  Rome  will  take  up  arms 
for  Domitian,  if  once  we  have  the  metropolis  in  oui 
power.  We  can  gain  over  the  Praetorian  guard  with  A 
word.  Ulpius,  my  beloved  son,  make  known  to  MS 
now,  what  you  have  attempted  and  achieved  in  this  di- 
rection." 

Ulpius  Trajanus  leaned  back  in  his  chair,  and 
crossed  his  arms  over  his  breast.  His  noble  and  frank 
countenance,  stamped  in  every  feature  with  generous 
honesty,  suddenly  grew  anxious  and  grave.  Lucilia 
had  been  right  when  she  said  incidentally,  that  Ulpius 
Trajanus  reminded  her  of  Caius  Aurelius.  Although 


240  QUINTUS   CLAUDIUS. 

considerably  older  and  of  a  dark  southern  type,  the 
Hispanian,  like  the  young  Northman,  had  that  look  of 
genuine  human  benevolence,  which  lends  a  bright  and 
harmonious  expression  to  any  feat; 

"  My  friends,"  began  Ulpius  Trajanus,  coloring  a 
little;  "  I  can  as  yet,  to  my  great  regret,  report  nothing 
decisive.  I  came  hither  not  to  announce  a  success,  but 
to  hear  what  you  had  to  say.  Within  the  last  few 
months  many  new  recruits  have  joined  the  ranks  of  the 
Praetorians;  magnificent  gifts  of  money  are  distributed 
every  week  to  the  officers  and  men.  Norbanus,  the 
officer  in  command,  is  loaded  with  favors,  so  it  would  be 
difficult  to  find  an  opening — !  Indeed,  I  am  firmly 
convinced  that  Norbanus,  who  is  an  honest  man,  places 
the  welfare  of  the  country  far  above  any  other  consider- 
ation; however,  up  to  this  moment,  all  my  efforts  to 
fathom  him  have  been  in  vain.  He  speaks  out  more 
frankly  than  many  others,  it  is  true,  but  his  openness 
always  bears  upon  trifling  matters.  He  instinctively 
knows  the  limits  of  discretion.  It  would  be  waste  of 
words  to  tell  you  of  every  detail.  I  have  given  myself 
no  rest  from  labor  or  vigilance,  and  it  is  not  my  fault  if 
the  rock  repeatedly  rolls  back  into  the  gulf." 

"  Promise  him  the  consulate,"  muttered  Cinna 
frowning,  "  trip  him  up,  trample  on  him,  hold  the  dag- 
ger to  his  breast  .  .  .  .  " 

"  The  dagger's  point  might  only  too  easily  be  turned 
upon  us,"  said  Trajanus  smiling. 

"  He  is  right,  Cinna,"  Nerva  threw  in.  "  It  is  pre- 
cisely his  self-command  and  coolness,  that  fit  him  for  the 
part  assigned  to  him,  and  he  must  play  it  to  the  end  in 
the  spirit  of  those  who  have  trusted  him." 

"  But  self-command  must  come  to  an  end  and  issue 


i.virs  ci.Aunius.  241 

at  last,"  said  Afranius,  leaning  his  round  chin  on  his 
hand.  "  I  have  no  thought  of  even  hinting  a  reproach 
to  our  worthy  1'lpius;  I  only  mean,  that  if  Lucius  Nor-" 
banus  persists  in  the  part  of  the  mysterious  oracle,  and 
Trajanus  waits  for  the  spirit  to  move  him,  without  giving 
it  a  helping  hand,  our  work  of  redemption  will  remain 
in  the  clouds.  Besides,  nothing  is  more  dangerous  than 
a  long-planned  conspiracy.  F>cfore  you  can  turn  round 
the  palace  will  have  caught  wind  of  it,  and  by  the  day 
after  to-morrow,  the  splendid  museum  of  Domitian's 
victims  will  be  increased  by  a  few  valuable  specimens." 

Cornelius  Cinna  nodded  assent. 

"  Excess  is  mischievous  in  anything,  even  excess  of 
caution,"  he  said  eagerly.  "  We  must  strike  now,  if  not 
•with  the  aid  of  the  body-guard,  why,  then  without  it — 
or,  if  need  be,  against  it.  There  are  troops  enough  in 
Gallia  Lugdunensis,333  to  defeat  the  few  cohorts  of  Nor- 
banus.  Cinna  is  thought  highly  of  by  the  legions,  and 
I  myself  have  many  devoted  allies  among  the  officers ; 
while  not  a  few  of  the  soldiers  will  remember^  that  I 
have  always  been  a  friend  and  supporter  of  the  third 
estate." 

"  I  can  answer  for  that,"  said  the  old  centurion, 
who  had  till  this  moment  sat  silent  in  his  easy-chair. 
**  Nor  am  I  altogether  devoid  of  adherents,  though  I 
cannot  compete  with  Cinna.  I  should  think  it  would 
not  be  difficult " 

333.  THERE  ARE  TROOPS  Exorr;n  IN  GAI.IIA  Lrr.nrxF.NSis. 
True,  nothing  is  expressly  stated  concerning  this  fact  in  the  reign  of 
Domitian  ;  but  as  it  was  the  case  under  Nero,  this  extremely  probable 
•opposition  certainly  scarcely  involves  a  license.  The  libert'y  I  take  in 
the  treatment  of  the  conspiracy  itself,  is  much  greater.  Strictly  speak- 
ing, it  was  only  a  revolution  in  the  palace.  Considerations  more 
important  to  the  novelist  than  strict  historical  accuracy,  compel  me 
here  to  deviate  from  the  accounts  of  Suetonius  and  Dio  Cassius. 

VoL  I.  :6 


242  <    CI.AfM 

"  Enough !"  interrupted  Cocceius  Nerva  wii'i  a 
friendly  wave  of  his  hand.  "  I  see  that  your  opinions 
are  divided.  Allow  me  to  make  a  suggestion.  The 
danger  of  discovery  does  not  seem  so  imminent,  as  to 
compel  us  to  forego  all  attempt  to  rely  on  the  support 
of  Rome.  Let  us  separate  in  the  firm  determination,  to 
prepare  and  meditate  everything  that  can  help  us 
ards  our  goal.  I  am  chiefly  thinking  of  Caius  Atire- 
lius,  who  made  friends  so  rapidly  with  Norbanus,  and 
who  is  regarded  with  less  suspicion  at  the  palace  than 
Ulpius  Trajanus.  We  will  meet  again  fourteen  days 
hence,  here,  in  the  house  of  Afranius,  and  at  the  same 
hour.  If  in  the  meanwhile  our  plan  has  made  no  pro- 
gress, we  will  give  up  tlie  City  of  the  Seven  Hills,  and 
set  to  work  in  Gallia  Lugdunensis." 

This  proposal  was  unanimously  agreed  to. 

"  Yet  one  thing  more.  It  is  quite  possible,  that  in 
the  course  of  these  fourteen  days  events  might  occur,  on 
which  it  is  impossible  to  reckon  beforehand.  I  am  per 
fectly  convinced,  that  not  a  soul  in  the  palace  suspects 
anything  as  yet ;  but  spies  are  innumerable,  and  an  ac- 
cident, a  heedless  word,  a  glance,  a  gesture,  might  be- 
tray us.  Just  at  this  time  fresh  suspicions  have  been 
roused  in  Caesar's  court.  Let  us  be  ready  to  fly  at  a 
moment's  notice." 

"  To  fly !"  exclaimed  Cinna.  "  Is  that  the  road  to 
victory  ?" 

"  I  only  say  in  the  worst  extremity  .  .  .  .  " 

"  That  would  indeed  be  the  worst !  Do  you  already 
know  of  any  mischief?  Do  you  know,  that  a  spy  has 
already  betrayed  us  ?" 

"  No,  my  dear  Cinna,  I  know  nothing;  I  was  only 
considering  possibilities." 


QUINTUS    CLAUDIUS.  243 

"  But  that  possibility  is  exactly  what  is  not  to  be 
borne !  I  feel  now,  twice  as  strongly  as  before,  that 
cur  only  safety  is  in  action." 

••  But  can  you  act?"  asked  Cocceius.  "Is  Nor- 
banus  our  ally  ?  Are  the  legions  under  your  command  ? 
If  so,  act,  and  at  once,  Cinna!  Stand  up  on  the  plat- 
fvirm  in  the  Forum,  and  proclaim  that  Domitian  is  de- 
posed." 

"  You  are  very  right,"  snarled  Cinna.  "  Right  as 
usual !  but  what  is  to  happen  if  the  possibility  becomes 
a.  fact  ?  When  flight  has  dispersed  us  to  all  the  four 
v.inds ?" 

"  Then,  my  friend,  the  essential  point  is  to  agree  on 
a  spot,  where  we  may  all  quietly  meet  again.  Let  that 
spot  be  Rodumna,334  the  native  town  of  Afranius.  It  is 
in  every  respect  favorable — at  only  a  short  distance 
from  Lugdunensis,  and  yet  so  small  as  to  be  out  of  the 
turmoil  of  the  world.  There  will  we  meet,  rouse  the 
legions  to  our  support,  and  march  upon  Rome !" 

"  Good,  good !"  cried  Cornelius  Cinna. 

"  Rodumna!"  echoed  the  rest. 

Nerva  rose. 

"  One  word !"  implored  Caius  Aurelius. 

Ncrva,  who  had  already  grasped  their  host's  hand 
in  leave-taking,  turned  enquiringly  to  the  young  man. 

"  Worthy  friends,"  the  Batavian  went  on.  "  Allow 
me  to  say,  that  down  at  Ostia  lies  my  trireme.  The 
captain  and  the  crew  are  all  men,  whom  we  may  blindly 
trust.  If  anything  should  occur  to  drive  us  hence,  we 
could  not  do  better  than  meet  on  board  my  bark  and 
reach  Gallia  by  sea." 

334.  RODUMNA  on  the  Liger,  (now  the  Loire).  Called  at  the 
present  day  Roanne. 

16* 


244  QUIN1TS    <-  I-  AUDI  US. 

"  That  is  a  good  idea,"  said  Nerva.  "  But  still  one 
question  arises.  Does  any  one  in  Rome  know  of  the 
existence  of  this  trireme  ?" 

"  Hardly  a  soul.  The  high-priest's  family,  it  is  true, 
were  on  board  with  me,  when  I  came  from  Baiae.  But 
here,  in  Rome,  where  there  is  so  much  to  distract  the 
attention,  so  trivial  a  circumstance  would  scarcely  dwell 
in  their  minds." 

"  But  the  slaves !"  cried  Cinna.  "  If  you  are  sus- 
pected at  the  palace,  they  have  been  cross-examined  ere 
now 

"  I  do  not  honestly  believe,  that  I  have  been  consid- 
ered worthy  of  so  much  attention  at  the  palace." 

"  And  even  if  it  were  so,"  Nerva  added,  "  there  is  a 
way  of  escape.  To-morrow  morning,  spread  a  report 
among  your  friends  and  acquaintances,  that  your  vessel 
is  on  the  point  of  starting  to  return  to  Trajectum.  Go- 
to Ostia  yourself,  and  let  her  set  sail  with  all  ceremony ; 
then,  at  night,  when  she  is  well  out  at  sea,  order  the 
captain,  instead  of  steering  southwards,  to  make  a  de- 
tour to  the  left  and  sail  past  the  islands  of  Pontia335  and 
back  to  Antium,  as  if  he  had  come  direct  from  Mes- 
sana.336  There  he  may  wait  till  we  need  him.  By  the 
Appian  Way  and  Aricia337  and  Lanuvium,338  it  is  not 
more  than  twice  the  distance  to  Antium,  that  it  is  to 
Ostia.  Give  your  captain  the  name  of  Rodumna  as  a 
I  assword ;  whoever  goes  on  board  with  that  token  is 
to  he  received  unquestioned.  What  do  you  think  of 
my  plan  ?" 

335.  ISLANDS  OF  PONTIA.     Now  Isole  di  Ponra,  opposite  the 
Gulf  of  Gaeta. 

336.  MESSANA.    Now  Messina. 
337. 'ARICIA.    NowAriccia. 

338.  LANUVIUM.    Now  Civita  Lavigna. 


QUINTUS   CLAUDIUS.  245 

"  Nothing  could  be  better  arranged,  it  seems  to  me," 
exclaimed  Cinna.  "  In  this  way  we  need  neither  fit 
out  a  vessel  for  ourselves,  nor  yet  travel  by  land.  The 
one  would  excite  suspicion,  and  the  other  would  be 
both  dangerous  and  expensive.  So  let  it  stand :  if  the 
situation  should  seem  in  any  way  perilous,  we  meet  on 
board  the  trireme  in  the  harbor  of  Antium." 

The  conspirators  rose  and  slowly  dispersed. 


CHAPTER  XIX. 

ON  the  second  day  after  the  incidents  just  related 
dark  clouds  had  risen  over  the  Tyrrhenian  sea  and 
spread  in  long,  heavy  banks  across  the  sky,  which  a 
short  while  since  had  been  so  deeply  blue.  A  stiff 
south-westerly  breeze  blew  up  the  stream  of  the  Tiber, 
and  tossed  the  little  boats  and  flat-bottomed  barges, 
which  lay  at  anchor  at  the  foot  of  the  Aventine,339  till 
they  jostled  and  bumped  each  other.  Sudden  squalls 
of  rain  swept  down  at  short  intervals,  and  obliged  the 
people  to  throw  on  their  leather  cowls  or  their  long- 
haired woolittu  Cloaks.340  All  the  life  of  the  streets  took 
refuge  in  the  arcades  and  pillared  halls ;  the  atria,  with 
their  slippery  marble  pavements,  were  deserted,  and  the 
water  from  the  guttered  roofs  dripped  dolefully  into  the 

339.  AT  TUB  FOOT  OF  THE  AVENTINE  was  a  slip  arranged  by 
the  aediles  M.  Aemijius  Lepidus  and  I,.  Aemilius  Paulus  in  the  year 
193  B.  C.   Ships  still  lie  at  anchor  there  at  the  present  day. 

340.  LONG-HAIRED   WOOLLEN    CLOAKS.       The  paenulae,   the 
travelling  and  winter  garments  made  of  rough  woollen  material  or 
leather.     The  lacena  differed  from  the  paenula  in  being  an  open  gar- 
ment like  the  Greek  pallium,  and  fastened  on  the  right  shoulder  by 
means  of  a  buckle  (fibula),  whereas  the  taenula  was  what  is  called  a 
vtttimtntum  clausam  with  an  opening  for  the  head.    (Mart.  XIV,  134. 
133.)     See  Becker's  Gal/us,  vol.  II,  p.  95.  etc. 


246  QUINTUS   CLAUDIUS. 

overflowing  impluvia.341  A  strange  atmosphere  of 
comfort  and  oppression  lay  over  the  whole  city.  Some 
great  races,  which  were  to  have  been  run  in  the  Circus 
Maximus,  were  postponed  at  the  last  moment.  The 
flow  and  ebb  through  the  palace  gates  was  less  persist- 
ent than  usual.  The  Senate  even,  notwithstanding  the 
importance  of  the  matters  awaiting  their  debate,  came 
in  fewer  numbers  than  usual  to  the  sitting.  In  short, 
the  air  was  full  of  that  dull  uneasiness,  which  infallibly 
accompanies  the  first  symptoms  of  the  decay  of  the 
year. 

The  storm  increased  as  evening  fell.  Quintus,  who 
had  dined  with  no  other  company  than  two  of  his 
clients,  stood,  as  it  grew  dusk,  at  the  door  of  the  dining- 
room,  looking  out  at  the  dreary  prospect.  The  clouds 
chased  each  other  wildly,  and  the  wind  groaned  and 
howled  through  the  colonnade  like  the  wailing  of  suffer- 
ing humanity. 

"  Good !"  said  Quintus,  turning  back  into  the  room. 
"  And  very  good !  The  wilder  the  night,  the  better  for 
our  undertaking." 

He  signed  to  the  shrewd  slave,  Blepyrus,  who  at 
this  moment  passed  along  the  passages «vifh  a  brazier 
full  of  burning  charcoal.34*" 

"  Where  are  you  going  ?"  he  asked  doubtfully ;  and 
when  the  slave  answered :  "  To  your  study,  my  lord," 
he  said : 

"  Very  good,  I  am  coming — but  take  care  that  we 
are  alone." 

341.  IMPLUVIUM.  The  cistern,  in  the  floor  of  the  atrium,  in- 
tended to  receive  rain-water, 

343.   A    BRAZIER    FULL    OF    BURNING    CHARCOAL.       In   ancient 

Rome,  heat  was  usually  supplied  by  means  of  movable  stoves  and 
iron  braziers.    Chimneys  were  also  known. 


:virs  CLAUD;  247 

Blepyrus  went  on  through  the  arcade,  and  when  he 
had  reached  his  master's  private  room,  he  carefully  set 
the  brazier  on  the  floor.  Two  lads,  who  were  standing 
idle,  he  promptly  dismissed  as  Quintus  came  into  the 
room. 

"  Listen,  Blepyrus,"  he  began.  "  Just  fancy  for  a 
moment,  that  to-day  is  the  feast  of  Saturn.343  Tell  me 
your  honest  opinion,  frankly  and  without  reserve,  just 
as  if  you  were  sitting  at  table  after  the  old-fashioned 
custom,  while  I,  your  master,  waited  upon  you  ?" 

The  slave  looked  up  at  him  in  bewilderment. 

"  You  do  not  seem  to  understand  me,"  Quintus 
continued.  "  I  want  to  hear  from  you,  how  far  you  are 
satisfied  with  your  master.  If  I  have  been  unjust,  if  I 
have  hurt  your  feelings,  or  wronged  you  without  cause 
— speak!  I  entreat  you — nay,  I  command  you." 

"  My  lord,"  Blepyrus  stammered  out,  "  if  I  am  to 
speak  the  truth,  you  have  said  many  a  hard  word  to 
your  other  slaves,  but  to  me  you  have  never  been  any- 
thing but  a  kind  and  just — indeed  a  considerate  master. 
I  could  only  say  the  same,  even  if  the  feast  of  Saturn 
really  licensed  me  to  complain." 

"  I  am  glad  to  hear  you  say  so,  my  good  friend.  I 
mean  well  by  you  all,  and  if  I  ever  ....  Ah  !  I  remem- 
ber now  what  you  have  in  your  mind.  You  are  think- 
ing of  the  evening,  when  I  struck  Allobrogus  in  the 
lace344  for  breaking  that  preciows  vase. —  You  are  right ; 

343.  FEAST  OF  SATURN.    The  so-called  Saturnalia.    See  note, 
392,  Vol.  I. 

344.  WHEN  i  STRUCK  ALLOBROGUS  IN  THE  FACE.    This,  ac- 
cording to  Roman  views,  was  a  mild  punishment  for  such  an  offence. 
It  sometimes  happened  in  such  cases,  that  slaves  were  instantly  con- 
demned  by  their  angry  masters  "to  the  muraenat,"  that  is,  to  be 
thrown  into  the  fish-ponds  for  food  for  the  muraenae. 


248  QUINTUS   CLAUDIUS. 

the  poor  fellow's  teeth  were  more  precious  than  the  broken 
jnr.  It  was  my  first  angry  impulse.  Believe  me,  llle- 
pyrus,  I  have  never  hurt  or  injured  any  one  of  you  out 
of  ill-will ;  and  you,  especially,  have  always  been  a  friend 
rather  than  a  slave.  You  shared  my  earliest  sports — 
do  you  remember  by  the  Pons  Milvius*5  how  I  sprang  to 
your  assistance,  when  your  arm  was  suddenly  cramped 
in  swimming  ?  And  then  again,  on  the  wresding-ground 
in  the  Field  of  Mars,  where  we  enacted  the  fight  of 
Varus  against  the  Germans  ?  You  snatched  me  up  and 
rescued  me  from  my  foes,  like  a  young  god  of  war,  when 
the  game  suddenly  became  earnest  .  .  .  ." 

"  I  remember,  my  lord,"  said  the  slave  with  a  grati- 
fied smile. 

'«  Well,"  continued  Quintus,  "  then  tell  me  one  thing. 
Are  you  still  ready  to  stand  in  the  breach  for  your  mas- 
ter? Understand  me,  Blepyrus — this  time  it  is  not  a 
question  of  fisticuffs  or  even  thrashed  ribs.  It  is  for  life 
and  death,  old  fellow.  To  be  sure,  your  reward  now 
should  not  be,  as  it  was  then,  a  saucerfull  of  Pon- 
tian  cherries,  but  the  best  of  all  you  can  ask  ....  " 

"  My  lord,"  said  the  slave,  trembling  with  agitation, 
a  I  will  do  whatever  you  desire." 

"  Can  you  -hold  your  tongue,  Blepyrus?  Be  silent, 
not  merely  with  your  tongue,  but  with  your  eyes — 
your  very  breath  ?  You  have  done  me  good  service  be- 
ior»  now,  I  well  remember,  which  required  secrecy — 
but  only  in  trifling  matters.  This  time  it  is  not  a  tender 
note  to  the  fair  Camilla,  not  even  an  assignation  with 
Lesbia  or  Lycoris.  Swear  by  the  spirit  of  your  father, 
by  all  you  hold  sacred  and  dear,  to  be  silent  to  the  Tery 
death." 

345.  PONS  MILVIUS.    Now  Ponte  Molle. 


QUINTUS    CLAUDIUS.  249 

"  I  swear  it." 

"  Then  be  ready ;  at  the  second  vigil  we  must  set 
out  on  an  expedition — out  into  the  storm  and  dark- 
ness. You  can  tell  your  comrades,  that  I  am  going  by 
stealth  to  Lycoris.  The  rest  you  shall  hear  later." 

Three  hours  after  this  the  little  gate  creaked  open, 
which  led  from  the  cavaedium  to  the  street,  and  Quin- 
tus  and  the  slave,  both  wrapped  in  thick  cloaks,  slowly 
mounted  the  Caelian  Hill,346  and  then  took  a  side  road 
into  the  valley.  Here,  on  the  southern  slope,  the  storm 
attacked  them  with  redoubled  fury ;  the  blast  howled  up 
the  Clivus  Martis  and  the  Appian  Way.  The  streets 
were  almost  deserted ;  only  a  solitary  travelling-chariot 
now  and  then  rolled  thundering  and  clattering  over  the 
stones. 

"  We  must  mend  our  pace,"  whispered  Quintus,  as 
the  slave  paused  a  moment,  fairly  brought  to  a  stand- 
still at  the  corner  of  the  Via  Latina347  by  a  sudden 
squall  of  rain.  "  We  have  still  far  to  go,  Blepyrus ;  and 
we  shall  have  it  worse  still  out  there  in  the  open." 

They  had  to  step  cautiously  on  the  slippery  pave- 
ment. The  road  gradually  trended  off  to  the  right; 
that  dark  mass,  that  now  lay  to  the  left,  was  the  tomb  of 
the  Scipios,34*  and  there,  in  front  of  them,  hardly  visible 
in  the  darkness  of  night,  rose  the  arch  of  Drusus,349 

346.  THE  CAELIAN  HILL.   (Mons  Caelius)  south  and  south-east 
of  the  Coliseum. 

347.  THE  VIA  LATINA  branched  off  to  the  left,  on  entering  the 
Via  Appia,  from  the  north. 

348.  TOMB  OF  THE  SCIPIOS.    Portions  of  this  tomb,  (discovered 
in  the  Vigna  Sassi  in  the  year  1780.)  still  exist  at  the  present  day. 
Here  lay  buried :  among  others  :  L.  Cornelius  Scipio  Barbatus,  Con- 
sul 298  B.  C. ;  his  son.  Consul  259  B.  C.,  the  poet  Ennius  etc.     The 
tomb  was  originally  above  the  ground. 

349.  ARCH    OF    DRUSUS.       This  monument,   still  extant,  was 
erecfd  in  8  B.  C.  to  Claudius  Drusus  Germamcus. 


250  QUINTUS   CLAUDITS. 

through  which  the  road  led  them.  They  were  now  out- 
side the  limits  of  the  city  itself — the  fourteen  regions, 
as  they  were  called,  of  Augustus  Caesar.  But  Rome, 
the  illimitable  metropolis,  flung  out  her  arms  far  bt -\ 
these  prescribed  boundaries.  That  undulating  plain, 
which  we  now  know  as  the  Campagna,  was  then  dotted 
over  with  villas  and  pleasure-gardens.  The  main  artery 
of  this  straggling  suburb  was  the  magnificent  Via  Appia 
—  the  noble  work  of  a  Claudius — leading  to  the  south. 
The  greater  number  of  these  villas  were  at  this  time 
abandoned,  and  the  tombs  that  stood  by  the  road- 
side350 on  either  hand  were  hardly  more  silent,  than  the 
dwelling  places  of  the  living,  before  whom  these  stone 
witnesses  were  set  to  remind  them,  that  life  is  fleeting 
and  must  be  enjoyed  to  the  full  while  it  lasts. 

Quintus  and  his  companion  went  onwards,  still  to 
the  southwards.  The  country-houses  became  more  and 
more  scattered;  they  might  now  have  walked  about 
two  Roman  miles  beyond  the  arch  of  Drusus.  A 
heavily-laden  wagon,  with  an  escort  of  riders,  had  just 
driven  past  them,  and  the  gleam  of  the  lanterns  was 
dwindling  in  the  distance.  Quintus  stopped  in  front  of 
a  high-vaulted  family  tomb,  of  which  the  facade  was 
decorated  with  a  semicircular  niche  containing  a  marble 
seat. 

"If  I  am  not  mistaken  in  this  Cimmerian  black- 
ness," he  muttered,  "  this  is  the  spot  .  .  .  .  " 

And  at  the  same  moment  they  heard,  approaching 
from  the  opposite  tomb,  the  sound  of  cautious  steps. 

A  broad  beam  of  light  fell  on  the  young  man's  face. 


350.  THE  TOMBS  THAT  STOOD  BY  THE  ROAD-SIDE.       Abun- 
dant traces  of  these  tombs  on  the  Via  Appia  still  exist. 


:XTUS    CLAUDIUS.  251 

"  God  be  praised !"  cried  a  woman's  voice ;  and  in 
an  instant  Euterpe,  darkening  her  lantern  again,  stood 
by  the  side  of  the  two  men.  The  young  woman  was 
trembling  with  wet  and  cold ;  her  clothes  clung  to  her 
limbs,  and  her  hair  hung  in  dark  locks  over  her  fore- 
head and  cheeks. 

*  Are  you  alone?"  asked  Quintus. 

•*  With  Thrax  Barbatus.    Here  he  comes." 

"In  such  weather!" 

"  God  bless  you !"  said  the  old  man,  coming  up  to 
Quintus.  "  Who  is  this  with  you  ?" 

"  Blepyrus,  my  trusted  friend.  He  will  not  betray 
us." 

••  My  lord,  what  return  can  I  ever  make  .  .  .  ." 

"  Go  on,  push  on !"  was  the  young  man's  answer. 
"  Only  look  how  the  black  clouds  are  driving  over  the 
hills;  it  gets  worse  every  minute.  Have  we  far  to 
go?" 

"  About  three  thousand  paces,"  said  Barbatus. 

"  Then  lead  the  way,  my  good  Euterpe.  Come, 
old  friend,  lean  on  me.  Blepyrus,  support  him  on  the 
left." 

"  You  are  too  careful  of  me,  my  lord,"  said  the  old 
man,  flinging  his  wet  cloak  over  his  shoulder.  "A  mer- 
ciful Providence  still  grants  me  strength,  that  my  white 
hairs  belie,  and  I  am  used  to  rougher  roads  than  you 
suppose.  It  is  you,  the  son  of  a  noble  house,  accus- 
tomed to  tread  only  on  polished  marble  or  soft  car- 
pets .  .  .  . " 

"  Nonsense — why,  even  this  storm  is  nothing  to 
speak  of." 

They  turned  eastwards,  and  leaving  the  high-road, 
soon  reached  a  wooden  bridge  across  the  waters  of  the 


25*  QUINTUS   CLAUDIUS. 

Almo,*1  a  rivulet  now  swollen  by  the  storm.  From 
hence  the  path  led  them  across  the  Via  Latina  and 
through  a  dense  wood.  The  pine-tops  sighed  weirdly 
under  the  lashing  wind  that  rocked  and  bowed  them, 
while  now  and  again,  as  one  bough  crashed  against  an- 
other, there  was  a  sound  as  of  distant  axe-strokes. 
They  first  followed  a  foot-path,  which  crossed  the  wood 
in  a  south-easterly  direction,  but  presently  —  about  half 
w.iy  through  the  pine  forest  —  their  guide  pushed  aside 
the  boughs  of  a  sturdy  laurel,  that  stood  on  the  right 
side  of  the  alley,  and  they  plunged  into  the  brushwood. 
Here  another  path  was  presently  discernible,  though 
overgrown  by  a  seemingly  impenetrable  tangle  of 
shrubs,  and  this  presently  brought  them  out  close  to  a 
grass-grown  mass  of  rocks.  By  walking  round  one  of 
the  huge  boulders,  they  reached  an  opening  into  an  old 
and  long-disused  stone-quarry.  A  low  passage  was  vis- 
ible, sloping  down  underground. 

"  Here  we  are,"  said  Euterpe.  A  gleam  from  her 
lantern  revealed  a  high-piled  mass  of  debris.  "  I  will 
go  in  first." 

She  placed  her  lantern,  half  open,  on  a  shelf  in  the 
tufa  rock,  at  such  an  angle  as  to  light  up  the  passage  ; 
then,  stooping  down,  she  disappeared  in  the  doubtful 
shadow  cast  by  a  natural  buttress  on  the  rocky  wall. 
Thrax,  Quintus,  and  Blepyrus  followed,  the  slave  bring- 
ing the  lantern  in  his  hand.  At  the  spot,  where  the 
flute-player  had  disappeared,  the  passage  was  cut  in 
steps,  which  led  abruptly  downwards  about  thirty  feet 
underground  ;  then  a  broad  and  fairly  lofty  gallery  ran 


.  ALMO     The  little  river  still  bears  this  name;    H  rises  at 
e;  mentioned  by  Ovid.  (Fast.  IV,  337-340  ) 


QL'INTUS    CLAUDIUS.  253 

about  fifty  paces  on  a  level,  opening  into  a  cross  gal- 
lery. 

Quintus  signed  to  his  slave  to  remain  where  these 
cross-roads  met,  while  he  followed  Thrax  Barbatus  to 
the  right,  where  a  dim  light  was  visible  at  some  con- 
siderable distance.  Approaching  nearer,  he  perceived 
that  the  source  of  this  light  lay  somewhat  on  one  side, 
where  a  large  hall  opened  out,  strangely  decorated  and 
lighted  up  by  a  few  tapers.  At  the  farther  side,  oppo- 
site the  entrance,  stood  an  altar  hung  with  black,  and 
over  it  was  a  wooden  image  of  the  crucified  Christ.  To 
the  left  was  a  brick-walled  hearth,  where  a  bright  fire 
was  blazing.  The  smoke  rose  in  a  tall  column  to  a 
square  opening  in  the  roof.  On  the  floor,  in  a  niche  on 
one  side,  Eurymachus — the  slave  who  had  escaped 
from  Stephanus — lay  on  a  straw  mat,  his  pale  face  rest- 
ing on  his  hand.  Glauce,  his  betrothed,  was  occupied 
in  mixing  the  juice  of  some  fruit  with  water,  to  make  a 
drink  for  the  fevered  sufferer,  while  Diphilus,  kneeling 
in  front  of  a  rough-hewn  wooden  stool,  was  folding  a 
broad  strip  of  stuff  to  make  a  bandage.  He  rose  as  the 
new-comers  entered. 

"  The  Lord  is  merciful !"  said  Thrax  to  Eurymachus. 
"  Greet  our  deliverer.  All  will  be  well.  The  night  is 
stormy  and  dark ;  we  can  rest  for  a  short  while  and  dry 
our  cloaks  by  the  fire ;  then,  by  God's  help,  we  will  set 
forth  with  a  good  courage. —  By  mid-day  you  will  be 
in  safety." 

The  sick  man's  features  brightened ;  joyful  surprise 
and  eager  gratitude  sparkled  in  the  dark  eyes,  which  as 
suddenly  closed  again,  as  though  dimmed  by  weakness. 
Euterpe  had  meanwhile  taken  the  soaked  and  dripping 
cloaks  from  the  shoulders  of  the  two  men,  and  had 


254  QUIXTUS   CLAUD1 

hung  them  over  two  scats  in  front  of  the  fire.     Then 
she  fetched  a  little  table  and  spread  it  with  bread, 
and  wine,  while  Glauce  brought  platters  and  cups  from 
a  cave  in  the  wall. 

"  Do  us  the  favor  of  accepting  a  little  refreshment," 
she  said,  pulling  forward  a  bench. 

Quintus,  whose  walk  through  the  stormy  night,  and 
still  more  his  anxious  excitement,  had  made  very  thirsty, 
emptied  his  cup  at  a  draught,  and  then  turned  sympa- 
thetically to  Eurymachus. 

"  Do  you  know  me  again  ?"  he  asked  smiling. 

The  slave  drew  a  deep  breath,  and  said  in  a  weak 
voice : 

"  Yes,  my  lord,  I  know  you.  In  such  a  moment  of 
torture  a  man's  memory  is  sharpened.  It  was  you,  who 
on  that  awful  day  poured  balm  into  my  wounds,  you 
and  the  fair  youth  with  a  grave,  kind  face  .  .  .  .  " 

"  My  word  for  it,  but  you  put  me  to  shame!  It  was 
not  I,  but  my  companion,  who  first  made  his  way 
through  the  hedge — it  was  not  I,  but  my  companion, 
who  gave  you  that  human  consolation." 

'"  Not  so,"  replied  Eurymachus  solemnly.  "  Proud 
and  haughty  as  you  looked,  in  your  heart  there  was 
some  stirring  of  the  sense. of  common  humanity,  which 
is  our  inheritance  from  our  Heavenly  Father.  It  was 
but  a  small  matter,  that  betrayed  this  impulse,  but — I 
know  not  why — it  sank  deeper  into  my  soul,  than  even 
the  brave  words  of  your  companion.  In  truth,  noble 
Quintus,  the  touch  of  your  hand,  as  you  tried  to  drive 
away  my  greedy  tormentors,  fell  like  balm  upon  my 
heart ;  it  fanned  the  dying  spark  of  courage  in  my  soul 
— aye,  and  I  remembered  it  when,  in  Lycoris'  garden, 
they  were  preparing  to  nail  me  to  the  cross.  You  smile, 


n-   INTtHJ   CLAUDIUS.  255 

my  lord,  and  think  me  a  raving  enthusiast — but  so  it 
is.  When  you  came  towards  me  through  the  gap  in  the 
hedge,  you  appeared  to  me  as  the  type  of  the  illustrious 
Roman  —  handsome,  haughty,  absorbed  in  the  natural 
desire  for  enjoyment,  and  with  no  heart  to  pity  the  suf- 
ferings of  the  baser  millions.  But  when  you  turned  to 
go,  you  left  me  with  a  revived  belief,  that  the  gulf,  which 
severs  the  classes  of  men,  may  be  bridged  over.  Often 
have  I  discussed  it  with  Thrax  Barbatus. —  He  de- 
clares, that  the  doctrine  of  Nazareth  is  destined  to  be  the 
belief  of  all  mankind;  I,  on  the  contrary,  maintain  that 
it  will  never  be  the  creed  of  any  but  the  wretched  and 
oppressed.  For  the  noble  and  wealthy — so  I  argue — 
will  naturally  cling  to  their  luxury-loving  idols,  to  whom 
they  attribute  their  power,  dominion,  and  riches.  But 
since  that  hour,  when  Quintus  Claudius  came  up  to  me 
filled  with  pity,  a  divine  revelation  lives  and  shines  in 
my  soul.  And  has  not  the  current  of  my  own  fate  jus- 
tified this  presentiment  ?  The  wealthiest  and  haughtiest 
youth  of  the  City  of  the  Seven  Hills,  the  son  of  the  all- 
powerful  Flamen,  is  the  deliverer  of  the  wretched  slave  ! 
Eerily,  Quintus,  1  say  unto  thee :  Thou  art,  though 
thou  knowest  it  not,  a  follower  of  the  crucified  Jesus." 

"  I  ?"  said  Quintus  startle^  and  bewildered. 

"  Yea,  my  lord.  '  Not  every  one  that  saith  unto  me 
Lord,  Lord,  is  my  disciple,'  saith  Jesus  of  Nazareth, 
4  but  he  that  doeth  the  will  of  my  Father  in  Heaven.1  " 

"  I  do  not  altogether  understand  what  you  mean ; 
the  mysteries  of  your  religion  are  as  yet  unknown  to 
me." 

"  The  doctrine  of  Jesus  is  simple  and  clear.     The 

Master  himself  has  summed  it  up  in  two  laws :     '  Thou 

love  the  Lord  thy  God  above  all  things,'  and  the 


256  QUINTUS   CLAUDIUS. 

second  is  like  unto  it :  '  Thou  shall  love  thy  neighbor 
as  thyself.1 " 

Quintus  looked  down  in  silence. 

"  You  speak  of  God,"  he  said  at  last.  "  Which 
God  do  you  mean,  Eurymachus  ?  Jupiter,  whom  our 
forefathers  worshipped,  is  to  you  a  mere  idol.  What 
name  then  do  you  give  to  the  Divinity,  who  commands 
your  love  ?  And  what  proof  have  you,  that  he  too  is 
not  a  false  God  ?" 

"  My  lord,"  said  Eurymachus,  "  our  God  has  no 
name  by  which  he  is  known.  A  name  is  use/i  for  dis- 
tinction, and  to  mark  a  difference  from  others  of  the 
same  kind ;  but  He  is  one  alone  and  eternal  from  the 
beginning.  He  reveals  himself  to  us  through  the 
myriad  marvels  of  the  universe,  which  would  never  cease 
to  rouse  our  awe-struck  admiration,  but  that  custom 
has  dulled  our  sense.  He  is  manifest  in  the  impulses 
and  emotions  of  our  own  nature,  in  the  ardent  yearning 
for  immortality — that  home-sickness  of  the  soul  which, 
in  the  midst  of  all  the  joys  and  blessings  of  this  life, 
makes  us  aware  of  an  infinite  void,  a  gulf  which  noth- 
ing else  can  fill.  It  is  He,  whom  we  apprehend  in  the 
joy,  that  thrills  us  like  a  tender  mother's  kiss,  when  we 
lift  up  our  hearts  to  contemplate  Him  by  faith.  We 
know  Him  by  the  strength,  the  constancy,  the  scorn  of 
death,  that  He  can  inspire,  when  every  nerve  of  our  frail 
body  is  quivering  with  pain.  Think  of  our  fellow-be- 
lievers, who  were  butchered  by  Nero — the  bloody 
slaughter  in  the  Arena,  the  men  burnt  alive,  buried 
alive!  What  upheld  these  martyrs  through  their  un- 
speakable torments  ?  The  grace  of  God,  the  Almighty 
and  All-merciful,  whom  Jesus  Christ  hath  taught  us  to 
know." 


QUTNTUS    CLAUDIUS.  257 

"  Amen !"  whispered  Glauce,  with  an  admiring 
glance  at  her  lover,  whose  face  glowed  with  enthusiasm. 

Barbatus  went  anxiously  up  to  him,  and  laid  a  hand 
on  his  brow. 

"  Do  not  agitate  yourself,"  he  said  with  tender  sym- 
pathy. "  You  have  still  much  to  go  through." 

"  Nay,  it  is  well,"  replied  Eurymachus.  "  I  feel 
strengthened  since  I  have  set  eyes  on  my  preserver. — 
Aye,  noble  Quintus,  this  is  the  God,  whom  the  disciples 
of  the  Nazarene  worship — this  is  the  faith,  which 
your  empire  brands  as  a  crime.  Conspirators,  they  call 
us,  and  traitors.  We  conspire,  it  is  true,  but  not  against 
Caesar,  to  whom  we  freely  render  the  things  that  are 
Caesar's,  as  our  Master  taught  us;  only  against  sin, 
against  crime  and  evil-doing.  We  swear  to  each  other 
by  the  memory  of  ihe  Crucified,35*  not  to  betray  each 
other,  nor  to  lie,  nor  steal,  nor  bear  false  witness,  nor 
commit  adultery.  We  hate  no  man  for  his  faith's  sake, 
for  we  know  that  grace  is  a  gift  of  omnipotent  God, 
and  that,  even  in  the  shadow  of  the  false  god  Jupiter,  a 
gleam  of  divine  truth  may  be  seen.  We  are  quiet, 
peaceful  folk,  who  ask  nothing  more  than  to  be  al- 
lowed to  live  undisturbed  in  our  faith  and  hope." 

"  You  forget  one  thing,"  exclaimed  Barbatus,  as 
Eurymachus  paused.  "  Christ  teaches  us,  that  we  are 
all  the  children  of  God.  In  his  sight  all  differences  of 

352.   WE   SWEAR  TO    EACH   OTHER   BY   THE   MEMORY  OF  THE 

CRUCIFIED.  See  Plin.  Ep.  X,  97,  where  in  a  report  about  the 
deeds  of  the  Christians,  he  savs:  "  But  they  assert  that  their  guilt 
or  error  consisted  in  meeting  before  dawn  on  a  certain  day.  singing 
hymns  in  honor  of  Christ  as  a  god,  and  binding  themselves  by  a  vow, 
not  to  commit  a  crime,  but  to  neither  steal,  commit  adultery,  break 
their  promise,  nor  deny  the  possession  of  accumulated  property  ;  after 
which  they  usually  dispersed,  only  meeting  again  at  an  innocent 
meal,  shared  by  all  without  distinction  of  persons." 

fW  /.  17 


258  QUINTUS   CLAUDIUS. 

high  and  low,  rich  and  poor,  lofty  and  humble  are  as 
nothing;  and  we,  as  true  disciples  of  the  Redeemer, 
must  strive  to  work  out  this  principle.  We  must  try 
to  found  a  state  of  human  society,  in  which  all  the 
distinctions  which  have  hitherto  existed  are  utterly 
dissolved." 

"  Nay,  you  are  in  error,"  replied  Eurymachus. 
"  Those  differences  are  not  to  be  done  away  with.  If 
you  levelled  them  all  to-day,  they  would  originate  again 
of  their  own  accord  to-morrow.  Their  form  and  as- 
pect will  be  modified,  but  their  existence  is  inevitable. 
Jesus  of  Nazareth  never  conceived  of  such  changes. 
He  only  sought  to  revive  in  those,  who  have  lost  it  in 
the  varying  chances  and  turmoil  of  life,  some  conscious- 
ness of  the  intrinsic  worth  of  all  that  is  truly  human. 
As  soon  as  the  great  ones  of  the  earth  learn  to  see,  that 
even  slaves  are  their  brothers,  that  even  the  base-born 
are  the  children  of  the  Almighty,  all  the  most  violent 
contrasts  of  class  will  be  smoothed  away,  and  things 
that  now  weigh  upon  us  as  a  yoke,  will  be  turned  into  a 
bond  of  union.  *  My  Kingdom  is  not  of  this  world,' 
said  Jesus  of  Nazareth.  He  will  indeed  regenerate 
man,  but  through  his  heart  and  spirit,  and  not  with 
force  or  violent  upheaval." 

"  Then  you  insist  on  being  miserable,  come  what 
may  ?"  cried  Barbatus  vehemently. 

"  By  no  means.  I  only  dispute  the  idea,  that  the 
teaching  of  Christ  leads  to  such  issues.  Whether  rich 
or  poor,  master  or  slave,  matters  not  in  the  balance  of 
our  salvation.  Many  a  one,  who  holds  his  head  high 
and  free,  bears  heavier  fetters,  than  the  convict  in  the 
mines  of  Sardinia." 

Quintus  Claudius  once  more  emptied  the  cup,  which 


QUINTUS   CLAUDIUS.  259 

Glauce  had  filled.  His  brain  was  in  a  whirl,  and  his 
throat  parched.  The  sight  of  this  slave,  lying  on  a 
straw  mat,  and  weighing  the  future  destinies  of  man,  and 
the  mystery  of  existence,  with  such  calm  decision, 
troubled  and  excited  him  to  an  extraordinary  degree. 
At  this  moment  he  was  in  a  wilder  fever  than  Euryma- 
chus.  He  looked  down  with  admiration — almost  with 
envy — at  the  pale  face,  which  looked  so  radiant  in  the 
midst  of  suffering,  so  sublimely  happy  in  spite  of  wretch- 
edness. And  he  himself?  Did  not  the  saying  about 
the  convict  in  the  mines  apply  to  him  ?  Was  he  not  in 
fact  more  fettered  and  bound,  than  this  fugitive  slave  ? 
What  was  the  liberty  that  Rome — that  the  whole  world 
was  ready  to  offer  to  him  ?  Had  he  ever  been  able 
really  to  purchase  release  from  that  dark  melancholy, 
which  oppressed  him  like  an  ever-present  incubus? 
What  a  God  must  He  be,  who  uplifted  the  slave  to  such 
serene  heights! 

"  It  is  time  to  start,"  he  said  at  last,  waking  from  a 
deep  reverie.  "  The  roads  are  bad ;  I  fear  we  can  pro- 
ceed but  slowly ;  besides,  we  must  not  keep  Caius  Aure- 
lius  waiting  too  long.  He  shares  our  danger,  and  is 
watching  in  anxious  uncertainty." 

"  Noble  Sir !"  exclaimed  the  slave,  deeply  moved, 
"  are  you  really  prepared  again  to  risk  your  life  ?  You 
know,  Father,  how  strongly  I  set  my  face  against  this 
project ;  and  even  now,  at  the  eleventh  hour,  I  entreat 
you :  Consider  well  what  you  are  doing." 

"  It  has  all  been  considered,"  said  Thrax  impatient- 
ly. "  If  you  were  to  perish  in  this  cavern,  would  not 
our  fate  also  be  sealed  ?  Do  you  think,  that  Glauce 
would  survive  your  death  ?  Look  at  her;  see  how  the 
mere  thought  frightens  her." 

'7* 


260  QUINTUS   CLAUDIUS. 

"  But  who  talks  of  my  dying  ?  You  should  have 
waited  eight  or  ten  days,  till  the  first  fury  of  our  perse- 
cutors had  cooled." 

"  And  meanwhile  you  would  have  cooled,  never  to 
be  warm  again.  Your  wound,  at  first  scarcely  worth 
speaking  of,  has  become  so  much  worse  in  the  unwhole- 
some air  of  this  vault  .  .  .  ." 

"  And  your  fever  increases  every  day,"  interrupted 
Euterpe. 

"  Waste  no  more  words !"  cried  Thrax  angrily. 
"  Help  him,  Diphilus.  You  see  he  can  hardly  drag 
himself  up." 

Diphilus,  zealously  seconded  by  Euterpe,  lifted  the 
wounded  man  from  his  wretched  couch,  and  they  car- 
ried him  carefully  out  into  the  gallery,  where  Blepyrus 
was  wearily  leaning  against  the  rough-hewn  wall.  A 
litter  was  standing  there  with  some  thick  woollen  cover- 
lets, and  Eurymachus  was  laid  upon  it  as  comfortably 
as  possible.  Glauce,  who  had  followed  with  a  clay 
lamp,  pressed  a  long  kiss  on  his  forehead,  and  then  hur- 
ried away,  crying  bitterly.  Quintus  had  also  accom- 
panied them,  and  as  soon  as  he  saw  that  all  was  ready 
for  the  start,  ran  back  to  fetch  his  hardly -dried  cloak. 
But  he  involuntarily  paused  at  the  entrance  of  the  cav 
ern ;  the  sight  that  met  his  eyes  was  as  pathetic  as  it 
was  fair  to  look  upon.  The  young  girl  had  fallen  on 
her  knees  before  the  altar,  her  slender  hands  uplifted  in 
prayer;  she  gazed  up  at  the  cross  in  a  transport  of  de- 
votion, smiling  ecstatically,  though  tears  rolled  down  her 
pale  cheeks.  Her  lips  moved,  at  first  inaudibly,  but 
presently  in  a  low  murmur. 

"  Saviour  of  the  world,"  she  prayed,  "  Thou  who 
hast  died  for  us  on  the  cross. —  If  Thou  requirest  a 


QU1NTUS   CLAUDIUS.  261 

victim,  take  me,  and  let  me  suffer  a  thousand  deaths, 
but  spare,  oh  spare  my  Eurymachus !" 

"  Where  are  you,  my  lord  ?"  called  Blepyrus. 

"  I  am  coming,"  answered  Quintus  in  an  agitated 
voice.  "  Forgive  me,  gentle  worshipper,  for  interrupt- 
ing your  prayer.  Your  God  will  hear  and  grant  it 
none  the  less." 

And  as  he  spoke  he  went  up  to  the  fire-place,  threw 
the  cloak  over  his  shoulders,  and  followed  the  litter 
•which,  borne  by  Blepyrus  and  Diphilus,  had  already 
reached  the  entrance  of  the  quarry.  Euterpe  also  was 
with  the  wounded  fugitive.  Only  Thrax  Barbatus  re- 
mained behind  in  the  underground  cavern,  to  help 
Glauce,  who  had  now  recovered  her  cheerful  com- 
posure, to  deck  the  altar  and  throw  wood  on  the  fire. 
It  was  nearly  midnight,  the  hour  at  which  a  little  knot 
of  believers  in  the  Nazarene  were  wont  to  meet  and 
keep  the  Feast  of  Love  in  memory  of  their  Redeemer. 


CHAPTER  XX. 

THE  little  procession  slowly  made  its  way  through 
the  brushwood;  Euterpe,  indefatigable,  led  the  way. 
In  her  left  hand  she  carried  the  dark  lantern,  with  which 
now  and  again  she  lighted  up  some  especially  perilous 
spot,  while  with  her  right  hand  she  held  aside  the 
boughs  of  the  shrubs.  The  gale  was  still  blowing 
through  the  dripping  trees,  and  squalls  of  rain  swept 
over  them  with  a  rush  and  roar.  After  a  short  but  diffi- 
cult walk  they  reached  the  foot-bridge,  and  turned  off 


262  QUlNTUS   CLAUDIUS.. 

to  the  east,  leaving  the  brook  Almo  behind  them,  and 
then  by  degrees  the  forest  grew  thinner. 

When  at  last  they  reached  the  open,  they  saw  be- 
fore them  the  arches  of  the  Claudian  aqueduct,353  stretch- 
ing black  and  ponderous  across  the  plains.  The  wind 
had  parted  the  clouds  here  and  there  over  the  eastern 
horizon,  and  a  few  stars  shone  fitfully  through  the  rifts, 
but  this  made  the  darkness,  which  brooded  over  the 
whole  creation,  all  the  more  sensible. 

Again  they  went  over  a  wooden  bridge — then  un- 
der an  arch  of  the  aqueduct,  and  a  few  minutes  after 
through  that  of  another,  the  Aqua  Marcia.354  So  far 
they  had  kept  to  the  road.  Now,  however,  they  quit- 
ted it,  and  for  a  time  cut  across  fields  and  meadows, 
over  wide  pools  and  ditches,  and  through  brushwood. 
A  quarter  of  an  hour,  half  an  hour,  a  whole  hour  of  this 
toil,  and  they  had  not  yet  reached  the  Labicanian  Way,355 
towards  which  they  were  marching. 

Diphilus  held  out  bravely,  but  Blepyrus,  who  was 
not  of  the  strongest,  and  who  was  accustomed  only  to 
the  lightest  toil,  panted  so  painfully,  that  Quintus  could 
not  bear  to  see  it. 

"  Give  me  hold,"  he  said  with  rough  good  nature. 
"  Why,  you  are  groaning  like  a  mule  dragging  blocks  of 
stone." 


353.  THE  CLAUDIAN  AQUEDUCT  (Aqua  Claudia.)   Built  by  the 
Emperor  Claudius  50  A.  D.  was  twelve  miles  and  a  half  long,  and 
reached  to  Sublaqueum,  (now  Subiaco.) 

354.  AQUA  MARCIA.   Built  146  B.  C.  by  the  Praetor  O.  Martins 
Rex,  was  twelve  miles  long,  and  extended  to  the  Sabine  Hills.     Its 
water  was  considered  the  best  in  all  Rome.     Ruins  of  it,  as  well  as  of 
the  Aqua  Claudia,  exist  at  the  present  day. 

355.  THE  LABICANIAN  WAY.    ( Via  Labicana)  led  through  Tole- 
ria,  Ferentinum,  Frusino  and  Fregellae  to  Teanum  (north  of  Capua) 
where  it  entered  the  Via  Appia, 


QUINTUS   CLAUDIUS.  263 

41  My.  lord  !"  said  Blepyrus  out  of  breath.  "You  see 
I  can  hold  out  a  little  longer." 

"  I  see  just  the  reverse.  Stop  a  minute,  Diphilus — 
there!  now  get  your  breath  again,  Blepyrus,  and  fill 
your  lungs.  In  ten  minutes  we  will  change  again." 

"  But,  my  lord,  what  are  you  thinking  of?" 

"  Do  not  talk,  but  save  your  wind." 

Euterpe,  always  thoughtful,  offered  the  exhausted 
man  a  draught  of  mead.  Blepyrus  drank  it  eagerly, 
and  the  strange  convoy  went  on  its  way  again  through 
the  silent  night. 

They  were  indeed  a  strange  party  for  any  one  who 
could  have  seen  them!  A  youth  of  senatorial  rank 
serving  as  litter-bearer  to  one  slave,  while  another 
walked  idle  by  his  side !  Quintus  thought  of  his  friends 
and  equals,  and  could  not  help  smiling;  but  with  his 
next  breath  he  sighed,  for  he  thought  of  his  father.  He 
knew  indeed,  that  Titus  Claudius  would  not  have  hesi- 
tated to  lend  a  hand  if  needed  for  the  rescue  of  the 
meanest  of  his  dependents;  Titus  Claudius,  no  less, 
would  have  bent  his  shoulder  to  the  strap  of  a  slave's 
litter  in  case  of  need.  And  yet,  what  bitter  grief,  what 
implacable  resentment  would  that  generous  man  feel,  if 
only  he  could  see — could  guess  . .  .  . ! 

Quintus  gazed  vaguely  up  at  the  driving  clouds,  that 
scudded  wildly  along  like  a  host  of  uneasy  spirits.  They 
packed  and  tumbled  together,  hiding  the  few  stars  which 
had  peeped  forth  in  the  dark  sky. 

"  I  cannot  help  it,"  thought  Quintus,  tightening  his 
lips.  "  I  have  no  choice  in  the  matter.  If  the  whole 
world  round  me  crumbles  into  eternal  night — I  cannot 
help  it !" 

The  wounded  man,  exhausted  by  his  too  eager  talk 


264  QUINTL-S   CLAUDIUS. 

with  Thrax.  lay  meanwhile  silent  and  motionless  on 
rciiirh.     Kven  when  Quintus  slipped  the  straps  on  to  his 
Own  shoulders  he  seemed  indifferent  to  the  fact;  only  a 
taint  cry  of  surprise  betrayed,  that  he  had  not  swooned 
or  lallen  asleep. 

They  had  gained  the  Via  Labicana  at   last,  and 
toiling  up  the  slippery  way.     Blepyrus  was  just 
:  to  take  his  master's  share  of  the  burden  again, 
u  hen   he  suddenly  became  aware  of  a  shade  at  a  few- 
paces  distance,  which  at  first  stole  stooping  down  close 
to  the  hedge,  and  then  suddenly  made  for  the  open 
country,  bounding  across  the  road  with  long  steps. 

"  What  was  that  ?"  asked  Quintus,  who  had  also  ob- 
served the  noise  and  running  figure. 

"  Some  wild  creature  perhaps,"  said  Euterpe. 

"  It  was  a  man,"  said  Eurymachus. 

Quintus  stopped  and  gazed  out  into  the  darkness; 
then,  turning  to  Eurymachus,  he  asked  with  evident 
anxiety : 

"  When  did  you  first  see  him  ?" 

"  This  minute,  as  we  came  upon  the  road." 

"  I  saw  him  before,"  said  Blepyrus  in  a  whisper,  as 
though  a  similar  shade  might  at  any  moment  start  forth 
in  the  gloom.  "  Out  there,  by  that  bush  in  the  middle 
of  the  field  something  moved  and  scudded  past.  I 
thought  it  was  some  night-bird." 

"  They  are  sitting  snugly  in  their  nests,"  said  Di- 
philus.  Blepyrus  did  not  answer ;  he  was  considering. 

"  It  seems  to  me,"  he  said  at  length,  "  that  I  have 
seen  that  peculiar  skulking  walk  and  sudden  disappear- 
ance before.  He  vanished  like  lightning." 

"  And  he  meant  no  good,"  added  the  flute-player. 
"  In  short,  it  was  a  spy  sent  out  by  the  slave-catchers, 


QUINTUS   CLAUDIUS.  265 

and  before  we  can  reach  the  gate  the  town-watch  will 
be  upon  us." 

"Then  we  must  be  doubly  careful,"  said  Quintus, 
forcing  his  pulses  to  beat  more  calmly.  "  We  must  toil 
across  country  again  as  far  as  the  Via  Praenestina.356  It 
will  be  heavy  walking,  almost  up  to  our  knees  in  the 
soil.  —  But  listen!  is  not  that  the  tramp  of  horses? 
Coming  from  the  city — not  a  thousand  paces  away." 

"  Lord  and  Saviour !"  groaned  Euterpe.  "  The 
man  must  have  flown  like  the  wind." 

"  He  must  indeed,  if  these  horsemen  have  come  at 
his  call.  No,  the  swiftest  cannot  be  so  swift  as  that. 
It  it  all  the  same;  forewarned  is  forearmed.  What  is 
that  to  the  right  of  the  road  ?" 

"  A  fountain,  or  something  of  the  kind,"  replied  Ble- 
pyrus. 

"  We  will  hide  behind  the  wall,  till  the  horsemen 
have  passed." 

In  a  few  seconds  they  had  reached  the  fountain,  of 
which  the  basin  was  raised  about  three  feet  above  the 
ground.  By  day  it  would  have  been  a  perfectly  un- 
availing shelter,  but  in  the  darkness  it  was  a  sufficient 
cover.  If  the  horsemen  should  have  lanterns,  to  be 
sure — and  this  could  not  yet  be  seen  for  a  rise  in  the 
ground — they  might  easily  detect  the  track  of  the  fugi- 
tives across  the  weeds  and  grass,  and  then  .... 

For  the  first  time  in  his  life  Quintus  was  aware  of 
the  presence  of  a  great  danger.  Although  he  felt  cer- 
tain, that  the  unknown  runner  could  not  possibly  have 
fetched  the  horsemen,  who  were  now  close  upon  them, 

356.  THE  VIA  PRAENESTINA  was  a  road  for  local  intercourse. 
Just  beyond  Praeneste  (now  Palestrina,)  it  entered  (at  Toleria)  the 
Via  Labicana. 


266  QU1NTUS  CLAUDIUS. 

there  was  an  infinity  of  possibilities,  of  which  the 
mere  thought  seized  his  heart  with  a  cold  grip.  Even- 
accident  might  here  have  played  an  important  part.  If 
the  riders  were  really  agents  of  the  slave-takers,  or  even 
soldiers  of  the  town-watch,  the  next  few  minutes  were 
fateful  indeed.  The  sinister  vision  that  had  passed  them 
had  made  him  anxious  and  undecided,  and  gloomy 
forebodings  weighed  on  his  mind.  The  thought  flashed 
through  his  brain:  How  if  you  were  now  at  home, 
standing  by  your  own  triclinium  ?  Would  you  now 
appeal  as  you  did  to  Blepyrus,  or  would  you  not  rather 
seek  some  excuse  for  evading  the  work  of  rescue  ?  But 
the  question  left  him  clear  of  all  doubt ;  he  did  not  re- 
gret the  step  he  had  taken,  and  let  what  might  await 
him,  he  would  persist  now  in  the  road  on  which  he  had 
started.  This  short  meditation  restored  his  peace  of 
mind;  he  still  was  anxious,  but  it  was  not  on  his  own  ac- 
count; it  was  for  the  task  he  had  undertaken,  the  fugitive 
who  lay  in  silence  on  the  drenched  couch,  the  faithful  and 
brave  souls  who  crouched  with  him  for  shelter.  Sud- 
denly he  felt  a  trembling  hand  clasp  his  own,  and  press 
it  with  passionate  fervor  to  quivering  lips.  It  was  Etiry- 
machus,  whose  heart,  in  spite  of  every  dread,  was  over- 
flowing with  exalted  feeling.  The  slave's  grateful  kiss 
fired  a  sacred  glow  through  the  young  man's  veins,  and 
it  was  with  a  sense  of  supreme  indifference  to  all  the 
sports  of  fate,  that  he  heard  the  trample  of  hoofs  coming 
nearer  and  nearer. 

Blepyrus  and  the  stalwart  Diphilus  held  themselves 
in  readiness  to  meet  a  possible  onslaught.  Euterpe  sat 
on  a  low  stone,  half  paralyzed ;  her  heart  beat  audibly, 
her  hands  trembled  convulsively. 

The  horses  were  now  close  upon  them.     Quintus 


QUINTUS  CLAUDItJS.  267 

leaned  forward,  and  saw  five  or  six  dark  forms  mounted 
on  small,  nimble  beasts.  They  were  riding  cautiously,  at 
a  short  trot.  Now  they  were  passing  the  spot  where  the 
fugitives  had  turned  aside  from  the  high-road — Quintus 
fancied  he  saw  them  check  their  pace,  and  hastily  felt 
for  the  weapon  in  his  bosom.  But  it  was  a  mistake. 
The  riders  trotted  on,  and  did  not  diminish  their  pace 
till  at  some  distance  to  the  south-east,  where  the  road 
mounted  a  hill.  The  hated  sound  of  hoofs  gradually 
died  away  in  the  distance. 

"  God  be  praised !"  sighed  Euterpe. 

Diphilus  hastened  to  reload  himself. 

"  We  might  have  spared  ourselves  the  fright,"  he 
said  to  Eurymachus.  "  In  this  darkness  .  .  .  ." 

"  It  was  only  on  account  of  your  fugitive,"  said  Ble- 
pyrus.  "  It  may  be,  that  the  riders  were  only  mer- 
chants or  other  harmless  folk  .  .  .  ." 

"  It  is  all  the  same,"  interrupted  Quintus.  "  Any 
man  is  to  be  regarded  as  suspicious.  Do  not  lose  an- 
other minute !  Off !  towards  the  Praenestian  Way." 

And  once  more  the  little  procession  set  forth  across 
bog  and  briar.  Thus  they  reached  a  foot-path,  which 
led  them  past  vineyards  and  at  length  down  to  the  high- 
road. The  Via  Praenestina  was  little  frequented  at 
night,  even  in  fine  weather;  the  main  traffic  led  past 
the  towns  of  Toleria  and  Aricia,  So  they  went  on,  re- 
lieved in  mind,  towards  the  town,  which  was  still  at 
about  an  hour's  distance.  By  degrees  the  south-west- 
erly gale  spent  itself  and  lulled,  no  longer  rushing  in 
wild  blasts  across  the  plain,  but  blowing  softly  and 
steadily,  like  a  long-drawn  sigh  of  respite.  The  black 
clouds  rolled  away  to  the  east  and  north,  and  the  wan- 
ing moon  showed  a  haze-veiled  sickle  on  the  horizon. 


26$  QUINTUS  CLAUDIUS. 

Eurymachus  as  before  lay  in  total  silence;  and 
neither  Quintus,  whose  spirit  was  tossed  by  a  thousand 
new  and  strange  feelings,  nor  Blepyrus,  who  was 
straining  every  nerve  to  conceal  his  utter  exhaustion, 
uttered  a  word  as  they  walked  on.  Only  Diphilus  and 
Euterpe  exchanged  a  few  words  in  low  tones.  The 
flute-player  described  her  terror ;  never  in  her  life  had 
she  quaked  so  as  on  the  stone  by  that  fountain.  After 
passing  through  such  perils,  she  seemed  to  feel  the  need 
of  showing  all  her  love  and  good  feeling  to  her  worthy 
mate,  and  she  even  wished  to  relieve  him  of  the  litter 
straps,  as  Quintus  had  relieved  Blepyrus,  and  harness 
her  own  shoulders.  But  Diphilus  laughed  shortly,  and 
scorned  the  idea. 

"  Yes,"  he  growled  good  humoredly, "  that  is  a  good 
notion !  You  want  to  score  your  white  shoulders  with 
the  marks  of  the  strap.  Think  of  business,  child ! 
Why,  to-morrow  you  are  to  play  at  the  house  of  the 
captain  of  the  body-guard;  you  need  not  spoil  your 
beauty  to-night.  It  was  mad  enough,  that  you  would 
not  stay  at  home  such  a  night  as  this." 

They  were  now  close  to  the  limits  of  the  suburbs  of 
Rome.  The  buildings  on  the  Esquiline,  dimly  lighted 
by  the  moon,  stood  out  sharper  as  they  approached  them 
against  the  western  sky.  Passing  by  the  field,  where 
Philippus,  the  son  of  Thrax  Barbatus,  lay  buried,  they 
made  their  way  through  the  empty  streets  to  the  Caelian 
Hill,  and  at  last  reached  the  back  entrance  of  the  house 
inhabited  by  Caius  Aurelius.  The  narrow  path,  which 
led  to  it  across  the  hill,  was  entirely  deserted ;  the  houses 
stood  detached,  each  in  the  midst  of  its  garden,  and 
shut  off  from  the  road  by  high  walls. 

Quintus  went  forward  and  knocked  three  times  at 


QUINTUS   CLAUDIUS.  269 

the  postern  gate.  The  bolt  was  instantly  drawn,  and 
Magus,  the  Gothic  slave,  came  joyfully  to  meet  the 
strangers. 

"  Welcome,  my  lord,"  he  said  in  a  whisper.  "  Your 
arrival  relieves  us  of  the  greatest  anxiety.  I  have  been 
listening  here  at  the  gate  these  two  hours." 

"Yes,  yes — "  said  Quintus  equally  softly,  "we  are 
very  late ;  but  it  could  not  be  helped.  Come,  good 
people,  make  no  noise — go  in  front,  Magus." 

They  all  went  into  the  garden,  and  the  Goth  barred 
the  door  again.  Then  they  crossed  the  xystus357  to  the 
peristyle,  and  went  along  a  carpeted  corridor  to  the 
atrium.  Here  they  were  met  by  Herodianus,  who  with 
difficulty  suppressed  an  exclamation  of  joy. 

"  At  last !"  he  said,  bustling  to  and  fro  with  delight, 
like  a  busy  mistress  receiving  guests.  "  We  had  begun 
to  think,  that  you  must  have  met  with  some  misfortune. 
Aurelius,  my  illustrious  friend,  is  in  the  greatest  anxiety. 
But  softly,  for  pity's  sake  softly !  everyone  is  sound 
asleep,  and  foresight  is  the  mother  of  prudence." 

A  light  was  shining  in  one  of  the  rooms  that  sur- 
rounded the  court-yard;  before  they  could  reach  it, 
Aurelius  appeared  in  the  doorway  and  hurried  out  to 
embrace  Quintus. 

"What  a  fearful  night!"  he  said  with  a  sigh  of 
relief.  "  How  anxious  I  have  been  for  you,  my  dear 
Quintus!  A  hundred  possibilities,  each  more  terrible 
than  the  last,  have  racked  my  brain.  Be  quick,  Magus, 
lift  the  wounded  man  from  his  litter !  Come,  you  must 
be  quite  tired  out. — Such  torrents  of  rain!  Your  cloak 


357.  XYSTUS  (2v«T<fc—  Hall)  the  name  of  the  luxuriously-adorned 
garden  back  of  the  peristyle.     See  Cic.  Acad.  II,  13. 


270  QUINTUS   CLAUDIUS. 

is  as  heavy  as  lead.  And  here  is  our  sweet  little  musi- 
cian, as  tender  as  a  baby. — Come,  warm  yourselves, 
refresh  yourselves!" 

Herodianus  had  meanwhile  hastened  to  open  a 
cubiculum  farther  on  in  the  corridor,  while  Magus  took 
the  place  of  Blepyrus,  who  was  utterly  exhausted.  Eu- 
rymachus  was  laid  in  bed  and  soon  fell  asleep,  after 
Euterpe  and  Diphilus  had  applied  a  fresh  bandage  and 
given  him  a  cup  of  refreshing  drink.  Blepyrus,  inca- 
pable of  standing  even  a  moment  longer,  threw  off  his 
cloak  and  sank  at  full-length  on  to  one  of  the  cushioned 
benches  in  the  colonnade;  he  begged  Herodianus,  as 
he  passed,  to  throw  a  coverlet  over  him.  "  I  am  more 
dead  than  alive,"  he  said.  "When  my  master  goes 
home,  wake  me." 

The  freedman  tried  to  persuade  him  to  go  into  one 
of  the  rooms  and  lie  on  a  bed ;  but  Blepyrus  heard  no 
rpore.  Deep,  blank  sleep  had  overpowered  him  at 
once.  So  Herodianus  fetched  a  couple  of  warm  rugs, 
in  which  he  carefully  wrapped  the  weary  slave  and  then 
he  joined  Aurelius  and  Quintus. 

The  Gothic  slave  stayed  to  watch  Eurymachus. 
Leaning  back  in  a  chair,  resting  his  feet  on  a  stuffed 
footstool,  he  sat  gazing  in  the  sleeper's  face  which, 
faintly  lighted  by  the  glimmer  of  a  small  bronze  lamp, 
was  the  picture  of  worn-out  nature,  but  at  the  same 
time,  of  contentment  and  peaceful  rest.  Magus  knew 
all  the  history  of  the  hapless  slave.  He  knew  how 
Domitia's  steward  had  for  years  made  life  a  burthen  to 
him,  and  had  at  last  condemned  him  to  a  martyr's  death. 
The  immutable  steadfastness  of  the  sufferer  had  excited 
the  enthusiastic  admiration  even  of  the  simple  Goth, 
and  strange  thoughts  were  surging  in  his  soul. 


QUINTUS   CLAUDIUS.  271 

"  How  still  he  lies  there  with  his  eyes  tight  shut," 
thought  the  Goth,  "  quite  shut,  and  yet  I  could  fancy 
he  saw  through  the  lids.  Veleda,358  the  prophetess,  had 
just  such  eyes!  When  I  was  carrying  him  across  the 
hall  he  looked  up,  and  it  was  like  a  flash  of  fire,  and  yet 
soft  and  mild  like  the  blue  sea  when  the  sun  shines.  If 
he  were  fair,  he  would  be  just  like  the  priest  in  the  grove 
of  Nerthus.359  He  indeed  was  a  favorite  of  the  gods ; 
he  knew  everything  on  earth  and  above  the  earth.  I 
feel  as  if  this  man  too  must  know  all  secrets,  which 
make  such  men  wise  above  all  others.  It  is  written 
on  his  forehead.  —  If  only  he  were  not  so  pale  and 
feeble — if  he  had  limbs  as  strong  as  mine,  and  hale 
northern  blood  in  his  veins!  Odin  should  melt  us 
down  to  make  one  man. — There  would  be  a  hero!" 

So  thought  the  worthy  Gothic  slave,  while  his  eyes 
remained  fixed  on  the  features  of  the  sleeper;  but  before 
long  his  own  eyes  also  closed,  and  the  ideas  that  had 
roused  him  to  unwonted  excitement  remained  in  his 
mind  in  the  realm  of  dreams.  He  saw  Odin,  with  his 
wolves  and  raven,  rushing  down  through  the  woods  on 
the  shores  of  the  distant  Baltic.  He  himself,  Magus, 
was  standing  in  the  shadow  of  a  sacred  beech-tree,  hand- 
in-hand  with  the  wounded  slave,  who  had  dragged  him- 
self painfully  through  the  underwood.  As  the  god 
rushed  past  them,  he  lightly  touched  them  with  his 


358.  VELEDA.   (Veleda  or  Veleda)  a  German  prophetess  belong- 
ing to  the  Bructerian  people,  took  part  in  the  war  against  Rome 
under  Civilis  (A.  D.  69)  and  afterwards  roused  her  countrymen  to 
another  insurrection,  but  was  captured  and  dragged  to  Rome.     See 
Tac.  Hist.  IV,  61,  65 ;  V,  23,  24,  and  Tac.  Germ.  8. 

359.  THE  GROVE  OF  NERTHUS.     Nerthus,  an  ancient  German 
divinity,  the  personification  of  mother  earth,  specially  revered  in  the 
north  of  Germany.    Her  principal  grove  was  at  Riigen. 


272  QUINTUS   CLAUDIUS. 

sword ;  and  they  flowed  and  melted,  as  it  were,  into 
one,  each  feeling  as  though  this  had  been  their  destiny 
from  the  beginning  of  things.  And  now,  as  the  newly- 
created  two-in-one  looked  up,  behold!  the  mighty 
sword  of  the  god  hung  to  a  branch  of  the  beech-tree. 
He  put  out  his  hand,  took  it  down,  and  with  a  giant's 
strength,  whirled  it  round  his  head.  A  flash  of  light 
shone  through  the  grove,  and  the  newly-formed  being 
felt  that  he  was  stronger  and  mightier  than  all  mortals, 
from  the  rising  of  the  sun  to  the  setting  thereof. 

"  A  foolish  dream  !"  Magus  whispered  to  himself,  as 
he  suddenly  started  wide  awake.  He  gave  his  charge, 
who  had  begun  to  stir,  a  draught  of  water,  and  then  fell 
asleep  again. 

Euterpe  and  Diphilus  had  meanwhile  gone  away, 
though  the  Batavian  had  begged  them  to  take  a  change 
of  clothes  and  rest  under  a  comfortable  roof  for  the  rest 
of  the  night.  After  Quintus  had  changed  his  dress  and 
refreshed  himself  with  food  and  drink,  he  also  wished  to 
return  home.  But  Aurelius  detained  him. 

"  Listen,"  he  said,  in  a  tone  of  strange  timidity : 
"  With  regard  to  our  journey  to-morrow  to  Ostia,  I  have  a 
proposal  to  make  to  you.  It  is  very  true,  that  the  mere 
fact  that  I  am  sending  my  ship  off  on  her  return  to  Tra- 
jectum  is  a  sufficient  reason — still — people  might  .... 
To  be  plain  with  you,  my  intimacy  with  Nerva  and  Cinna 
has  attracted  notice  in  certain  quarters  —  I  fear  I  may 
be  watched,  and  therefore  it  would  perhaps  be  better  to 
give  the  whole  affair  the  aspect  of  a  pleasure  excursion 
— if  you  only  could  persuade  your  sister,  and  perhaps 
your  betrothed  to  accompany  us.  I  have  such  a  perfect 
disguise  for  Eurymachus,  that  neither  of  the  young  ladies 
can  have  the  faintest  suspicion.  Besides — who  troubles 


QUINTUS   CLAUDIUS.  273 

himself  about  a  slave  ?  It  seems  to  me  the  plan  is  as 
admirable  as  it  is  simple." 

"  It  is  masterly !"  exclaimed  Quintus.  "  Cornelia 
is  crazy  about  the  sea,  and  Claudia  and  Lucilia  will  have 
no  objections.  If  only  the  weather  improves  .  .  .  .  " 

"  Oh !  the  day  will  be  splendid,"  said  Aurelius,  going 
into  the  hall.  "  The  wind  has  quite  gone  down,  and  the 
clouds  are  parting.  I  asked  Magus  just  now." 

"The  idea  is  delightful.  The  more  openly  and 
boldly  we  go  to  work,  the  better.  About  what  hour 
should  we  start  ?" 

"  I  thought  about  three  hours  after  sunrise." 

"  Very  good.  I  will  let  Cornelia  and  my  sisters  know; 
the  rest  I  leave  entirely  to  you,  my  dear  Caius." 

"You  shall  not  be  disappointed,"  said  Aurelius,  radi- 
ant with  satisfaction. 

"And  where  shall  we  meet  ?  Out  beyond  the  tomb 
of  Cestius  ?" 

"  It  will  perhaps  be  better  that  you  should  come  here, 
and  we  will  proceed  all  together  to  the  place  where 
vehicles  wait ;  that  will  look  least  suspicious  and  most 
natural." 

"  So  be  it :  we  will  go  to  the  gates  in  a  little  party. 
Now  farewell  —  I  am  very  tired,  and  wish  I  had  my  lit- 
ter." 

"  Shall  I ?"  Aurelius  began. 

"  I  should  think  so  indeed  !  What!  risk  all  that  our 
exertions  have  so  far  accomplished  for  the  sake  of  my 
selfish  limbs !  Nay,  nay.  I  shall  live  through  it,  never 
fear.  Farewell  again,  my  dear  Aurelius." 

The  friends  embraced.  Blepyrus,  awakened  by 
Herodianus,  who  lent  him  a  dry  cloak,  came  dizzy  with 
sleep,  down  the  corridor  and  followed  his  master  with  a 

V,L  /.  it 


274  QUINTUS   CLAUDIUS. 

faint  groan.  Quintus,  in  spite  of  all  he  had  gone 
through,  walked  on  fresh  and  eager,  and  in  five  minutes 
they  were  at  home. 


CHAPTER  XXI. 

IN  the  house  of  Cornelius  Cinna  a  slave  had  just 
announced  that  it  was  two  hours  after  sunrise.360  Cinna, 
though  he  had  slept  but  badly,  had  long  been  out  of  bed, 
he  would  not,  however,  receive  any  of  the  numerous  visi- 
tors, who  were  enquiring  for  him  in  the  atrium,  but  was 
pacing  the  peristyle  to  and  fro  with  his  head  sunk  on 
his  breast.  Cornelia,  who  was  taking  breakfast  in  the 
dining-room  with  Chloe  and  one  or  two  slave-girls,  sent 
repeatedly  to  call  her  uncle. 

"  Directly — in  a  minute,"  was  all  the  answer,  and 
Cinna  began  to  walk  up  and  down  the  colonnade. 

His  mind  was  principally  occupied  with  an  incident, 
which  certainly  seemed  significant.  Shortly  before  mid- 
night his  slave  Charicles  had  brought  him  a  mysterious 
note,  which  had  been  left  with  the  door-keeper  by  a  man 
concealed  in  a  cloak.  The  paper,  which  was  doubly 
tied  round  for  safety,  contained  but  a  few  words :  "  You 
are  surrounded  by  spies ;  be  on  your  guard." 

There  was  no  signature,  nor  did  the  large  thick 
writing — a  feigned  hand  no  doubt — afford  any  clew. 
"  Surrounded  by  spies !"  This  idea,  stated  with  such 
uncompromising  plainness,  haunted  his  excited  fancy 

360.  A  SLAVE  HAD  JUST  ANNOUNCED,  THAT  IT  WAS  TWO 
HOURS  AFTER  SUNRISE.  In  aristocratic  families  the  hours  of  the 
day  were  announced  by  a  slave,  kept  specially  for  this  purpose. 


QUINTUS   CLAUDIUS.  275 

with  urgent  persistency.  He  had  long  known,  that  under 
Domitian's  rule  espionage  and  underhand  reporting 
everywhere  spread  their  treacherous  snares.  And  yet  it 
came  upon  him  now,  as  something  impossible  and 
shocking.  In  vain  he  racked  his  brain  to  guess  who 
could  be  the  sender  of  this  mysterious  warning,  and  at 
last  he  came  to  the  conclusion,  that  the  whole  thing  was 
perhaps  the  spiteful  jest  of  some  enemy — or  a  trap  laid 
by  Caesar  himself. 

While  her  uncle  thus  paced  the  arcade  in  gloomy 
displeasure,  Cornelia  eat  her  breakfast  in  the  best  of 
humors.  The  early  day  shone  so  gaily  and  invitingly 
into  the  room,  the  air,  purified  by  the  night's  rain,  was 
so  sweet !  Besides,  had  not  Cornelia,  as  she  thought,  the 
most  particular  reasons  for  seeing  the  whole  world  rose- 
colored  to-day  ?  The  soft  light  in  her  eyes  showed 
that  she  had  recovered  a  peace  of  mind,  a  happy  confi- 
dence, which  for  some  time  she  had  lost  entirely. 

Chloe,"  she  said  at  last,  when  the  girls  had  left  the 
room  :  "  Did  you  not  notice  anything  yesterday  ?  I  mean 
when  I  came  back  into  the  sitting-room,  after  offering 
sacrifice  ?" 

"  Chloe  raised  her  round  head  on  her  fat,  short  neck, 
and  grinned  like  a  simpleton.  Cornelia,  who  was  usu- 
ally excessively  annoyed  by  this  behavior,  seemed  on  the 
present  occasion  to  be  superior  to  all  petty  vexation. 
She  went  on  pleasantly  enough : 

"  The  faith  in  the  universal  Mother  has  its  mysteries. 
At  our  third  visit  you  yourself  saw  how  Barbillus  can 
work  by  means  of  his  divine  mission.  You  fell  to 
earth  in  awe-stricken  terror,  but  the  goddess  smiled  on 
you  as  she  did  on  me,  the  first  time  I  knelt  before  her  in 
the  holy  of  holies.  So  I  venture  to  tell  you,  that  my 

»8* 


276  QUINTUS    CLAUDIUS. 

heart  is  full  of  unutterable  peace  and  joy.  Did  you  not 
see  yesterday,  that  I  was  quite  uplifted  with  happiness  ?" 

Chloe  grinned  wider  than  ever. 

"  No,"  she  said  witli  incredible  stupidity. 

"  Then  you  must  be  stricken  blind.  I  was  almost 
beside  myself;  for  Isis,  the  all-merciful,  has  bestowed 
on  me  the  most  precious  of  her  gifts.  She  promises  me 
protection  against  every  danger,  and  in  proof  of  her 
grace  will  send  her  divine  brother  Osiris  to  me  with  a 
message.  He  will  lay  his  hands  on  my  head,  and  so  in- 
spire into  me  a  spark  of  his  eternal  light.  Do  you  com- 
prehend the  immensity,  the  infinitude,  of  this  celestial 
mercy  ?  The  divine  miracle  is  to  be  accomplished  at 
the  next  new  moon,  and  then  no  farther  penance  or  sac- 
rifice will  be  needed.  I  shall  henceforth  be  the  sealed 
and  adopted  daughter  of  the  goddess  for  ever." 

Chloe  stared  blankly  in  her  face.  "  Yes,"  she  said, 
after  a  few  minutes  silence.  "Barbillus  is  a  great  man  ! 
At  first  there  were  many  things  I  thought  impossible; 
but  now  that  I  have  seen  them  with  my  own  eyes,  I  be- 
lieve in  everything.  —  Everything,  everything!  If  he 
were  to  tell  me  he  could  cut  the  moon  in  halves,  or 
bring  Berenice's  hair361  down  from  heaven  —  I  should 
not  doubt,  I  should  bow  before  the  magician." 

"  Oh !  I  am  so  happy !"  said  Cornelia,  while  the 
bright  color  mounted  to  her  cheeks.  "  Only  yesterday 
how  sad  I  was ;  my  heart  was  darker  than  the  midnight 
sky,  and  the  wailing  of  the  storm  found  an  echo  in  my 
soul.  Now,  to-day,  all  nature  hardly  smiles  so  brightly 
and  happily  as  my  refreshed  and  joyful  spirit.  This  ex- 
cursion to  Ostia  comes  exactly  at  the  right  moment,  as 

361.  BERENICE'S  HAIR.  A  constellation,  so  culled  from  the  glit- 
tering hair  of  Berenice,  daughter  uf  AJa^as  of  C\  rene.  Sec  Cat.  06. 


QUINTUS   CLAUDIUS.  277 

if  I  had  planned  it  myself — it  is  as  if  Quintus  had  read 
my  inmost  soul.  I  want  to  be  out  in  the  open  country 
by  the  everlasting  sea,  away,  far  away  from  this  crush 
of  houses  ....  Ah!  and  with  him!" 

"  It  is  lucky  then,  that  our  stern  master,  your  uncle, 
makes  no  difficulties.  He  is  usually  averse  to  all  ex- 
peditions, which  may  extend  till  nightfall.  I  almost 
think  he  was  inclined  to  say :  *  No.'  It  was  not  till  he 
heard  that  Cains  Aureliuswas  to  be  of  the  party  .  .  .  ." 

"  It  is  true,"  said  Cornelia.  "  And  I  myself  was 
surprised  to  find  how  he  was  silent  at  once  at  the  name 
of  the  Batavian."  She  blushed  scarlet.  "  It  almost 
looks,  as  if  he  thought  I  needed  some  one  to  watch  my 
behavior." 

"  It  is  only  that  he  is  anxious,"  said  Chloe.  "  And 
he  has  a  high  opinion  of  Aurelius." 

"Oh!  I  know — he  has  told  me  often  enough.  It 
would  be  a  heaven-sent  boon  to  him,  if  I  would  throw 
over  Quintus  and  condescend  to  marry  Aurelius." 

"That  would  be  a  bad  exchange!"  cried  Chloe. 
"  The  senatorial  purple  *•  for  the  ring  of  a  provincial 
knight." 

362.  THE  SENATORIAL  PURPLE.  From  ancient  times  the  privi- 
lege of  wearing  a  broad  purple  stripe  upon  the  edge  of  the  toga 
was  One  of  the  distinctions  of  the  Roman  senators.  The  second  class 
(equitts)  among  other  prerogatives,  possessed  the  right  to  wear  a 
gold  ring  on  the  finger.  But  at  a  very  early  period  abuse  of  this 
privilege  crept  in,  until  members  of  the  third  class,  nay,  even  freed- 
men,  presumed  to  assume  this  badge  of  honor.  The  severest  punish- 
ments, such  as  confiscation  of  property,  etc.,  could  not  prevent  the 
misdemeanor.  At  the  time  of  my  story,  the  gold  ring  was  actually  as 
common  as  the  use  of  the  "von"  in  addressing  simple  citizens  in 
Austria  at  the  present  day.  See  Mart.  Ep.  XI.  37,  where  the  freed- 
man  Zoilus  ventures  to  don  a  huge  gold  ring.  The  ring  worn  by 
Caius  Aurelius  —  though  legitimately  his  —  must  therefore  have 
seemed  all  the  more  contemptible,  in  comparison  with  the  senatorial 
purple.  By  the  way,  it  may  be  said,  that  in  the  time  of  Tiberius  the 
use  of  the  purple  was  also  abused.  See  Dio  Cass.  LVI1.  13. 


27$  QUINTUS  CLAUDIUS. 

A  slave  now  announced,  that  Quintus  Claudius  was 
waiting  in  the  atrium,  that  he  sent  his  greetings,  and 
wished  to  know  whether  Cornelia  was  ready  to  start, 
or  whether  Claudia  and  Lucilia  should  quit  their  litters 
and  come  into  the  house.  Cornelia  started  up  from 
her  couch  and  flew  to  meet  her  lover. 

"  My  uncle  is  in  a  very  bad  humor,"  she  said.  "  It 
will  be  best  not  to  disturb  him.  Let  us  start  without 
any  leave-taking." 

"  And  Chloe  ?" 

"  We  will  leave  her  at  home." 

Quintus  smiled ;  as  they  stood  there  in  the  narrow 
passage,  lighted  only  by  one  small  window,  he  threw 
his  arm  round  the  tall,  fine  figure  and,  unseen  by  the 
ostiarius,  pressed  a  burning  kiss  on  her  lips — but  Chloe 
appeared  with  travelling-cloaks  and  Tyrian  rugs,  and  the 
little  caravan  set  forth  at  once. 

There  were  four  litters,  one  for  each  person,  followed 
by  a  small  escort  of  slaves.  The  Numidian  guard  of 
the  Claudian  household,  and  the  Batavian's  Sicam- 
brians,  who  were  to  accompany  them  into  the  country, 
were  awaiting  them,  mounted  on  good  horses,  by  the 
pyramid  of  Cestius,  where  the  carriages  also  were  stand- 
ing. 

They  first  stopped  at  the  house  of  Aurelius,  but  here 
there  was  no  delay.  Hardly  had  they  knocked  at  the 
door,  when  Aurelius  came  out  to  meet  his  friends,  ready 
to  start  He  was  followed  by  a  litter,  in  which  lay  a 
fair-haired,  weather-beaten,  somewhat  haggard-looking 
man. 

"  This  is  a  seaman,  who  has  brought  me  news  from 
my  native  land,"  said  Aurelius  to  the  ladies.  "  In  all 
the  wind  and  rain  last  night,  he  came  up  from  Ostia, 


QUINTUS  CLAUDIUS.  279 

and  as  his  ship  sails  to-day  for  Parthenope  and  Greece, 
he  wants  to  return  to  the  port  as  quickly  as  possible." 

"A  fellow-countryman !"  exclaimed  Quintus.  "You 
Batavians  are  not  too  numerous  in  Rome,  and  I  can 
imagine  that  the  meeting  must  have  given  you  keen 
pleasure." 

"  Great  pleasure !"  said  Aurelius,  as  he  got  into  an- 
other litter,  "  though  the  worthy  Chamavus  has  found 
but  ill-luck  under  my  roof.  Only  think,  as  he  came 
into  the  court-yard  he  slipped  on  the  wet  marble  flags 
and  injured  his  ankle.  I  begged  him  to  remain  and 
rest,  but  he  assures  me  his  voyage  to  Hellas  admits  of 
no  delay  .  .  .  ." 

"  Poor  fellow !"  said  Lucilia  glancing  back  at  the  lit- 
ter. "  He  does  certainly  look  very  suffering." 

The  flaxen-haired  German  bowed  silently  to  the 
ladies,  and  then  turned  to  Aurelius  with  a  resigned 
shrug,  as  though  to  say,  what  could  not  be  cured  must 
be  borne. 

Meanwhile  a  crowd  of  idlers  had,  as  usual,  collected 
round  the  litters,  and  Aurelius  felt  his  anxiety  rising  at 
every  instant;  he  spoke  almost  angrily  to  one  of  the  bear- 
ers, who  could  not  settle  the  fastenings  of  his  scarlet 
tunic  to  his  satisfaction. 

However,  they  were  now  fairly  off.  Past  the  temple 
of  the  Bona  Dea363  they  turned  into  the  Delphian 
Way,364  as  it  was  called,  and  on  the  farther  side  of  the 
Aventine  reached  the  huge  monument — then  already  a 
century  and  a  half  old — which  has  survived  the  storms 

363.  THE  BONA  DEA.    A  somewhat  mystical  divinity,  allied  with 
the  Ops,  the  Fauna,  and  the  Hellenic  Demeter.     Her  temple  stood 
on  the  northeastern  slope  of  the  Aventine  Hill. 

364.  THE  DELPHIAN  WAY,  (Clivus  Delphini),  led  from  the  Circus 
Maximus  to  the  Porta  Raudusculana. 


28o  QUINTUS  CLAUDIUS. 

of  so  many  historical  cataclysms  to  the  present  day, 
At  that  time  the  pyramid  of  Cestius,  cased  from  top  to 
bottom  in  white  marble,  did  not  present  the  dismal  as- 
pect it  now  wears — a  pile  of  weather-stained  basalt — 
standing  in  silent  dignity  on  the  cemetery-like  desert  of 
the  Campagna.  A  busy  population  stirred  at  its  foot, 
and  the  morning  sun  shone  brightly  on  the  gilt  inscrip- 
tion, which  recorded  that  the  deceased  had  been  Prae- 
tor, Tribune,  and  member  of  the  body  of  High  Priests. 

On  the  eastern  side  was  a  second  inscription,  less 
monumental  and  imposing  than  that  on  the  north,  but 
to  Quintus  and  Aurelius  of  the  most  pressing  interest. 
There  was  there  an  "  album?  as  it  was  called,  one  of 
the  large  square  stones  on  which  public  announcements 
or  notices  were  written,  and  here,  in  tall,  red  letters,  the 
following  advertisement  might  be  read : 

"  Stephanus,  the  Empress*  steward,  advertises  for  his 
escaped  slave,  Eurymachus.  Whoever  brings  back  the 
fugitive,  dead  or  alive,  will  receive  a  reward  of  five  hun- 
dred thousand  sesterces.  Eurymachus  is  tall  and  slight, 
lean  and  pale,  with  dark  eyes  and  black  hair.  His  back 
bears  the  scars  of  many  floggings.  In  escaping,  he  is 
reported  to  have  injured  his  foot." 

The  statement  of  the  reward  stood  out  bright  and 
fresh,  while  the  rest  was  somewhat  washed  out;  the  sum 
was  increased  every  day,  and  had  been  doubled  since 
the  previous  evening.  Magus  and  Blepyrus  made 
every  conceivable  effort  to  clear  a  way  through  the  mass 
of  people  ^  that  crowded  round  this  notice,  and  almost 

365.  CLEAR  A  WAY  THROUGH  THE  MASS  OF  PEOPLE.  When 
people  of  distinction  went  out,  this  making  a  way  through  the  crowd 
was  often  done  with  much  ostentation,  but  it  was  always  the  duty  of  a 
few  slaves  to  walk  before  their  masters,  and  thus  smooth  the  way  for 
them. 


QUINTUS   CLAtJDIUS.  2o*I 

blocked  the  whole  width  of  the  road,  shouting  and  ges- 
ticulating. In  vain  ;  the  mob  were  so  possessed  by  the 
one  idea,  that  they  had  neither  eyes  nor  ears  for  any- 
thing else. 

"  Five  hundred  thousand  sesterces !" 

"  More  than  a  knight's  portion  I"*66 

"  And  how  long  ago  did  it  happen  ?" 

"  Four  days." 

"  Impossible-!" 

"  He  must  be  above  ground." 

"  Bah — he  has  some  patron  who  hides  him." 

Pros  and  cons  were  discussed  in  loud  confusion ;  the 
cries  of  the  two  slaves  were  lost  in  the  storm  of  voices, 
and  the  procession  came  to  a  stand-still  in  the  midst  of 
the  chaos. 

"  Use  your  elbows,"  said  Aurelius  in  Gothic. 
Magus  faced  about  with  a  shrug,  as  much  as  to  say 
there  was  indeed  nothing  else  to  be  done.  Then,  with 
a  contemptuous  glance  at  the  mob,  above  which  he 
towered,  with  slow  but  irresistible  force  he  elbowed  his 
way. 

"  He  works  like  a  flail !"  cried  one,  and  "  Oh !  my 
ribs !"  vailed  another. 

"  They  are  the  daughters  of  Titus  Claudius." 

"  What  do  I  care  ?  the  road  is  for  every  one." 

"  Certainly — for  all  alike.  Let  those  who  want  to 
go  on,  get  out  and  walk  if  the  crowd  is  too  great ;  it  is 
only  a  hundred  steps  to  the  chariots." 

"Aye,  get  out!"  cried  a  chorus.  "We  have  as 
good  a  right  to  be  here  as  our  betters.  Get  out !  Get 
out !" 

The  mob  closed  upon  them  threateningly  from  both 

366.  KNIGHT'S  PORTION.   400,000  sesterces. 


2§2  QUINTUS  CLAUDIUS. 

sides;  Quintus  Claudius  turned  pale.  If  he  could  not 
succeed  in  scaring  off  the  people,  and  if  this  irresponsi- 
ble populace  insisted  on  having  their  own  way,  all  must 
be  lost.  The  lame  foot  of  the  pretended  seaman  must 
inevitably  attract  the  attention  and  rouse  the  suspicion 
of  a  rabble,  whose  heads  were  full  of  the  notice  and  de- 
scription before  them — discovery  was  inevitable.. 

With  a  leap  Quintus  Claudius  was  standing  on  his 
feet,  and  went  forward  with  calm  dignity  to  face  the 
tumult. 

"  What  do  you  want  ?"  he  asked  sternly.  "  Why  do 
you  dare  to  stop  the  public  way  ?" 

His  cool  self-possession  worked  wonders — their 
noisy  audacity  was  quelled. 

"  Make  way,"  continued  Claudius,  while  a  faint 
flush  rose  to  his  brow.  "  I,  Quintus  Claudius,  the 
friend  of  Caesar,  command  you." 

"  Not  Caesar  himself  would  let  our  ribs  be  bat- 
tered," shrieked  a  croaking  voice. 

But  the  excuse  came  too  late.  Whether  it  was  Cae- 
sar's name,  or  the  imposing  and  attractive  presence  of 
the  young  patrician,  who  stood  unapproachable  as  an 
avenging  Apollo,  looking  calmly  on  the  tumult  of  his 
antagonists — the  crowd  parted  with  a  dull  murmur,  and 
the  road  was  free.  Quintus  and  Aurelius  had  some  dif- 
ficulty in  dissembling  their  joy. 

"  Stupid  creatures !"  said  Lucilia.  "  What  queer 
fancies  men  take." 

Cornelia  smiled  with  an  expression  of  supreme  con- 
tempt. Nothing  should  have  induced  her  to  walk,  she 
said,  and  she  would  have  liked  to  see  any  one  try  to 
make  her. 

They  safely  reached  the  spot  on  the  road  to  Ostia, 


QUINTUS  CLAUDIUS.  ^83 

where  the  chariots  awaited  them.  Here  again  they 
found  an  excited  crowd.  Driving  inside  the  city  walls 
was  prohibited  by  day,  and  they  here  found  not  only 
the  carriages  of  the  wealthier  citizens,  but  vehicles  for 
hire  in  numbers,  from  the  lightest  chariots  to  the 
heaviest  conveyances  for  travelling  or  pleasure  parties. 
The  drivers  noisily  and  vehemently  offered  their  services 
to  the  passers-by,  while  sellers  of  eatables  and  cooling 
drinks  carried  their  baskets  round  with  monotonous 
cries,  and  eating  and  drinking  went  on  in  the  arbors  by 
the  roadside.  Laughter  and  song,  scolding  and  cursing 
were  audible  in  a  variety  of  tones. 

The  party  of  excursionists  got  into  a  large  four- 
wheeled  chariot367  belonging  to  Caius  Aurelius.  The 
fugitive  was  helped  by  Blepyrus  and  Magus  into  a 
two-wheeled  vehicle,  known  as  a  cisium,368  which  stood 
somewhat  apart  loaded  with  provisions,369  but  which 
had  room  on  its  back-seat  not  only  for  Eurymachus, 
but  for  his  two  faithful  assistants. 

"  He  insisted  on  it,"  said  the  Batavian  to  Lucilia ; 
"  the  worthy  man  was  anxious  not  to  intrude  on  our 
party." 

"  That  was  very  wise  of  him,"  replied  Lucilia.  "  He 
is  better  off  in  a  provision  wagon  with  Magus  and  Ble- 
pyrus, than  in  the  most  splendid  chariot — and  really, 

367.  A   LARGE    FOUR-WHEELED   CHARIOT.      Allusion  is  here 
made  to  the  rheda  (the  travelling-coach)  or  the  carruca  (a  comfortable, 
nay,  magnificent  equipage). 

368.  CISIUM.    Such  two-wheeled  cabriolets  were  principally  used 
when  the  greatest  speed  was  desired.     (See  Cic.,  Rose.:  ctsiis  peruo- 
lavit) 

369.  LOADED  WITH  PROVISIONS.  Aristocratic  Romans,  even  on 
short  journeys,  carried  a  large  quantity  of  baggage,  principally  table 
furniture  and  provisions,  for  the  taverns  so  often  mentioned  were 
intended  exclusively  for  the  lower  classes. 


QUINTUS  CLAUWUS. 

here  with  us  there  is  scarcely  room  for  him. —  Besides,  it 
would  seem  he  brought  no  slaves  with  him  from 
Ostia?" 

"  All  the  crew  were  indispensable  on  board,"  replied 
Aurelius  coloring  slightly. 

Quintus  felt  that  Aurelius  could  not  carry  on  the 
deception  any  farther,  without  involving  himself  in  inex- 
tricable discrepancies.  He  tried  to  divert  the  conversa- 
tion into  a  less  dangerous  channel,  and  soon  succeeded 
in  so  completely  engaging  the  gay  Lucilia's  talent  for 
repartee,  that  the  second  vehicle  and  the  traveller  in  it 
seemed  entirely  forgotten. 

With  eight  Numidians  as  outriders,  the  little  party 
made  their  way  smoothly  and  unhindered  along  the  fine 
high-road.  The  Sicambrians  followed  as  a  rear-guard. 
That  valiant  equestrian,  Herodianus,  who  had  been 
quite  upset  by  his  deeds  of  prowess  the  night  before, 
remained  at  home  against  his  usual  custom. 

Now  again  Quintus  glanced  back  at  Eurymachus, 
who  had  maintained  a  quite  marvellous  composure  dur- 
ing the  scene  at  the  pyramid  of  Cestius.  His  disguise 
was,  in  fact,  most  successful.  None  but  the  most  prac- 
tised eye,  or  the  scrutiny  of  the  most  suspicious,  could 
have  detected  the  pale,  enfeebled  fugitive  under  the  fair, 
curling  hair  and  tanned,  weather-beaten  face  of  the 
mariner. 

The  Cappadocian  horses  made  a  good  pace.  In  an 
hour  and  a  quarter  they  had  reached  the  little  town  of 
Ficana,370  and  as  soon  as  they  had  passed  it  they  saw 
the  marshes,  which  here  border  the  coast  of  Latium  and 
the  distant  houses  of  the  seaport. 

370.  FICANA.    A  small  town  half-way  between  Ostia  and  Rome. 


QUINTUS   CLAUDIUS.  285 

During  their  rapid  drive  they  had  overtaken  several 
carriages  and  horsemen,  and  now  the  Numidian  van- 
guard galloped  past  a  man,  whose  light  travelling-cloak 
hung  carelessly  over  his  shoulders,  while  a  broad  Thessa- 
lian  hat371  shaded  his  face  from  the  sun,  and  who  sat  his 
horse  comfortably  rather  than  rigidly.  Two  slaves  trot- 
ted by  his  side  on  mules.  As  the  carriage  gained  upon 
him  he  turned  his  head,  and  Lucilia  exclaimed : 

"  See,  Quintus !  there  is  Cneius  Afranius !" 

Quintus  was  unpleasantly  startled,  for  he  knew  how 
keen  the  eye  of  the  lawyer  was,  and  how  great  his  skill 
in  solving  the  riddle  of  the  most  involved  mystery. 
But  a  glance  at  Caius  Aurelius  reassured  him. 

"  You  know,"  said  Aurelius,  "  that  his  mother  lives 
at  Ostia.  Besides,"  he  added  in  a  whisper,  "  even  if  he 
were  to  notice  ...  I  pledge  my  word,  that  Afranius  will 
not  betray  us." 

The  carriage  had  now  overtaken  the  rider.  Afranius, 
surprised  and  delighted,  waved  a  well-shaped,  though 
rather  large  hand,  and  set  spurs  in  his  horse  in  order  to 
keep  up  with  the  carriage.  His  horse  jibbed  and  re- 
sisted a  little,  but  then  fell  into  a  steady  canter. 

"  What  an  unexpected  meeting !"  cried  Afranius. 
"  Are  you  going  to  Ostia  ?" 

"As  you  see,"  replied  Quintus. 

"  My  trireme  sails  to-night,"  said  the  Batavian  gaily. 
"  I  am  staying  longer  in  Rome  than  I  had  intended,  so 
I  am  sending  it  back  —  home  to  Trajectum.  Our 
friends  here  have  come  with  me  for  the  sake  of  the 
delightful  expedition.  What  a  splendid  day  it  is !" 


371.  THESSALIAN  HAT.    This  was  worn  principally  in  travelling. 
Thessalia  was  the  name  given  to  the  eastern  part  of  northern  Greece. 


286  QUINTUS   CLAUDIUS. 

Afranius  nodded  the  Thessalian  hat. 

"  Quite  delightful !"  said  Lucilia. 

"And  you,  my  worthy  friend  Cneius,"  continued 
the  Batavian,  "  what  brings  you  here  to  Ostia?  Do  you 
suffer  from  your  old  longing  to  embrace  your  mother  ? 
Are  you— escaping  the  noise  of  the  city  ?  Or  have  you 
business  to  attend  to." 

"  Something  of  all  three.  I  am  riding  out  as  much 
from  duty  as  for  pleasure.  You  know  of  my  proceed- 
ings against  Stephanus,  Domitia's  steward.  All  I  have 
hitherto  been  able  to  do  has  been  in  vain  ;  but  now,  at 
last,  a  person  whose  name  I  will  for  the  present  keep  to 
myself,  has  revealed  to  me  certain  facts  which  very 
probably — well,  I  will  say  no  more.  But  at  any  rate  I 
propose  this  very  day  to  hear  what  certain  citizens  of 
Ostia  have  to  say.  If  only  I  could  get  at  all  the 
witnesses  equally  easily,  then  indeed — or  at  any  rate 
one,  the  most  important  of  all.  Unfortunately  I  see  no 
hope  for  it." 

"  Why !"  asked  Quintus. 

"  Because  he  has  vanished  and  left  no  trace." 

"  Then  have  him  hunted  up,"  said  Lucilia. 

"Others  are  doing  that  already.  Perhaps  there 
were  never  before  so  many  persons  in  search  of  one 
escaped  slave,  as  there  are  after  this  wretched  Eury- 
machus." 

Quintus  turned  pale,  and  even  Aurelius  felt  a  certain 
embarrassment  at  the  sound  of  that  name. 

"  But  how  is  it,"  asked  Quintus,  "  that  Eurymachus 
did  not  long  since  deliver  his  testimony  ?  What  can 
have  induced  him  to  spare  his  prosecutor  ?" 

"  Eurymachus  did  not  learn  the  facts  he  now  knows, 
till  within  a  few  days  of  his  flight,  and  it  was  his  highly 


QUINTUS   CLAUDIUS.  287 

inconvenient  knowledge  which  gave  cause  for  his  sen- 
tence of  death." 

"  But  he  might  have  spoken  some  days  before  his 
escape." 

"  Nay,  but  he  could  not ;  he  lay  in  chains  with  a  gag 
in  his  mouth,  that  might  have  smothered  the  voice  of 
Stentor." 

"  And  are  you  certain,"  persisted  Aurelius,  "  that  your 
informant  did  not  deceive  you  ?" 

"  Perfectly  certain.  So  certain,  that  I  would  pay 
down  five  hundred  thousand  sesterces  on  the  spot  in  hard 
cash — only  unfortunately  I  do  not  own  so  much — if 
only  I  could  have  that  daring  rascal  under  my  hand  for 
five  minutes.  It  is  humiliating!  Bah!  Why  need  I 
lose  my  temper  for  nothing  ?  He  is  safe  on  shore,  by 
this  time,  at  Utica373  or  Nicopolis373  and  I  am  heartily 
glad  to  think  so.  I  only  hope,  that  at  the  critical  mo- 
ment Stephanus  may  not  follow  his  example.  I  am 
afraid,  that  model  of  all  the  civic  virtues  knows  his  way 
too,  to  foreign  shores !" 

And  he  set  spurs  into  his  horse,  as  if  suddenly  pressed 
by  some  urgent  business.  His  thoughts  had  involuntarily 
reverted  to  that  greater  Stephanus,  whose  misdeeds  had 
filled  an  empire  with  horror.  He  reflected  on  the  boldly- 
planned  conspiracy,  of  which  the  failure  would  clear  the 
way  for  Domitia's  minion,  since  it  must  inevitably  lead  to 
the  death,  or  at  least  the  banishment,  of  his  accuser.  All 
the  more  prompt  and  resolute  then  must  their  immediate 
action  be  against  the  steward.  Perhaps  some  combi- 

372.  UTICA.    A  city  on  the  coast  of  the  province  of  Africa,  north 
of  Tunis. 

373.  NICOPOLIS.    A  city  of  Epirus,  at  the  entrance  of  the  Ambra- 
cian  Gulf,  opposite  Actiuro. 


288  QUINTUS   CLAUDIUS. 

nation  might  be  devised  which,  come  what  might,  would 
be  fatal  to  that  criminal,  whatever  the  issue  might  be  as 
regarded  Domitian,  and  such  a  plot  and  attack  on  Steph- 
anus  would  have  this  additional  advantage:  that  his 
foes  would  appear  politically  guiltless.  Every  one  must 
confess,  that  a  man  who  could  fight  so  vigorously  for 
distinction  in  the  forum,  could  not  at  the  same  time  be 
forging  plots,  which  might  risk  his  whole  career. 

The  lawyer's  last  words  had  greatly  disturbed  and 
agitated  Aurelius,  and  he  appeared  to  be  on  the  point 
of  whispering  something  to  Quintus.  He  thought  bet- 
ter of  it,  however,  and  asked  Cneius  Afranius  how  it 
happened  that  Fabulla,  his  respected  mother,  still  re- 
mained in  Ostia  in  spite  of  the  advanced  season. 

"  It  is  strange,  is  it  not  ?"  answered  Afranius.  "  With 
the  metropolis  of  the  world  so  near,  to  be  so  indifferent 
to  it !  Quite  like  Diogenes !" 

"  Has  she  never  been  to  Rome  ?" 

"  Never  once.  She  is  accustomed  to  the  quiet  of 
Rodumna,  and  devoted  to  a  country  life,  and  she  holds 
the  City  of  the  Seven  Hills  in  invincible  aversion. 
Ostia  appeared  to  offer  a  suitable  suburban  residence ; 
a  cousin  of  hers,  who  has  been  staying  in  Egypt  since 
March,  has  a  small  estate  there,  which  she  is  taking  care 
of  in  his  absence,  and  is  as  happy  doing  it  as  Diana  on 
the  hill-tops ;  all  the  more  so,  as  she  fancies  she  would 
be  a  hindrance  to  my  advancement,  if  she  lived  with  me 
in  Rome.  However,  when  I  am  fairly  launched  and 
settled,  I  shall  insist  on  her  coming." 

"  I  understand,"  said  Aurelius ;  and  he  thought  to 
himself:  "  You  are  waiting  till  our  plot  succeeds — or 
fails." 

Quintus,  who  was  still  very  anxious  lest  Afranius 


QUINTUS   CLAUDIUS.  289 

might  ride  too  near  to  the  disguised  slave,  and  ask  him 
unpleasant  questions — though  there  was  nothing  to  fear 
from  the  advocate — did  his  best  to  engage  his  friend's 
attention.  He  alluded  to  the  last  speech  he  had  deliv- 
ered before  the  centumvirate,  paying  him  many  polite 
compliments,  which  the  other  laughingly  disclaimed ; 
then  the  causo  itself  was  discussed,  and  their  debate 
became  eager  and  almost  business-like. 

Cornelia  had  been  unusually  talkative;  not  long 
before  Afranius  had  joined  them  she  had,  with  con- 
siderable humor,  given  an  account  of  an  excursion  to 
Pandataria,374  that  she  had  made  not  long  since  from 
Sinuessa,375  with  her  uncle  and  the  Senator  Sextus 
Furius.  Claudia  and  Lucilia  too  had  chatted  and 
laughed;  only  the  two  young  men  had  been  silent. 
Now  the  parts  had  suddenly  changed,  and  Lucilia  was 
almost  cross,  particularly  as  the  lawyer,  on  his  bony 
grey  steed,  would  persist  in  talking  to  Quintus  and 
Aurelius,  instead  of  addressing  Cornelia  and  Claudia  as 
politeness  required — not  to  mention  herself;  though 
even  she,  as  it  seemed  to  her,  did  not  look  so  very 
badly  to-day ;  for  Baucis  had  coiled  her  hair  with  un- 
precedented skill  and  precision,  and  her  new  gold  pin, 
with  a  handsome  ruby  head,  suited  her  dark  hair  to 
admiration  To  be  sure,  it  was  a  pity  that  the  careful 
folds  in  which  she  had  arranged  her  stola  to  fall  over 
her  ankles  could  not  be  appreciated,  while  she  sat  in 
the  carriage  half  covered  by  Cornelia's  fuller  drap- 
eries .  .  .  . ! 

"  Listen,  Quintus,"  she  began,  as  her  brother  was 

574.  PANDATARIA.  An  island  in  the  Tyrrhenian  sea,  opposite  to 
the  Gulf  of  Gaeta. 

373.  SINUESSA.    A  city  on  the  Gulf  of  Gaeta. 

Vri.  L  if 


290  QUINTUS   CLAUDIUS. 

again  on  the  point  of  addressing  Afranius :  "  You  are 
frightfully  uninteresting  to-day.  For  the  whole  way 
you  have  hardly  spoken  a  hundred  words,  and  now, 
when  Afranius  has  at  last  roused  you  from  your  drowsy 
dulness,  you  can  talk  of  nothing  but  lawsuits." 

"  You  cannot  imagine,"  said  Claudia  with  a  sly 
glance  at  Lucilia,  "  what  a  sworn  foe  she  is  to  all  that 
concerns  lawsuits.  The  mere  name  of  the  Centumvirate 
cuts  her  to  the  heart,  and  if  she  hears  of  a  speech  being 
made  which  lasts  more  than  two,  or  at  the  outside 
three  hours  by  the  water-clock,37*  she  faints  outright." 

Lucilia  had  colored  scarlet. 

"  You  are  quite  mistaken,"  she  cried  eagerly.  "  But 
everything  at  the  proper  time !  On  the  contrary,  I  am 
devoted  to  the  pursuit  of  law  and  justice,  but  not  under 
this  glorious  sun  and  within  sight  of  the  sea.  The  sins 
and  strife  of  men  belong  to  the  Forum,  to  the  Basilica, 
to  the  Senate-house.  Here,  where  all  is  bright  and 
beautiful,  I  expect  gay  conversation  and  happy  laugh- 
ter." 

"  She  is  right,"  said  Cornelia. 

Afranius  drew  himself  up  to  a  rigid  and  military 
bearing. 

"  I  crave  your  forgiveness,  stern  judge !"  he  said 
with  mock  gravity.  "  I  am  greatly  grieved  to  have 
offended  against  so  wise  a  clause  in  your  code  of  social 
morals.  I  have  justly  merited  your  lecture,  and  could 
do  no  less  than  take  myself  off,  if  I  were  not  humbly  re- 
solved to  earn  your  forgiveness  by  proving  my  sincere 
penitence — how  sincere  you  will  see  by  my  entertain- 

376.  THE  WATER-CLOCK  (cletsydra)  served  as  a  measure  of  time, 
especially  in  affairs  connected  with  the  administration  of  justice.  A 
water-clock  usually  ran  about  twenty  minutes. 


QUINTUS   CLAUDIUS.  291 

ing  and  amiable  behavior  for  the  future.  I  only  crave 
that  you  will  grant  me  the  opportunity  of  showing  my 
repentance ....  Do  me  the  favor  then  of  allowing  me 
to  invite  you,  one  and  all,  to  pay  a  visit  to  my  mother's 
little  country-house.  I  can  promise  you,  that  you  will 
be  charmed,  enchanted,  inspired !  It  is  a  tiny  villa,  but 
in  the  loveliest  garden — quiet,  rural,  idyllic.  The 
muraena  and  Lucrine  oyster  are  unknown  there,  to  be 
sure,  but  as  for  salads — lettuces  as  big  as  ..."  and  with 
a  flourish  of  his  hand  he  described  a  vast  circle  in  the 
air — "true  Cappadocians,  though  grown  at  Ostia;  and 
fresh  eggs,  pears  as  yellow  as  wax,  and  mighty  loaves  of 
country  bread.  A  few  pigeons  or  chickens  are  soon 
cooked ....  You  spoilt  town's-folk  will  positively  revel 
in  this  rural  simplicity!  Then  there  are  the  alleys, 
where  vines  hang  in  wreaths  from  the  trellis ....!" 

"  It  is  heavenly !"  cried  Claudia,  again  glancing 
knowingly  at  Lucilia.  "  Quintus,  we  must  really  accept 
so  tempting  an  invitation." 

"  With  pleasure ;  but  first  .  .  .  ." 

"  I  understand,"  interrupted  Afranius.  "  I  too 
must  first  attend  to  business  here.  But  listen  to  what 
I  propose.  I  will  first  conduct  these  ladies  to  my 
mother's  house,  and  then  I  will  fly  on  the  wings  of  the 
wind  to  speak  to  the  good  citizens  of  Ostia.  You 
meanwhile  .  .  .  ." 

"  Nay,  that  will  not  do,"  interrupted  Aurelius. 
"  Before  my  trireme  weighs  anchor,  I  have  a  communi- 
cation to  make  to  you." 

"Tome?" 

"  Yes,  to  you.  A  communication  of  the  greatest  im- 
portance, in  connection  with  your  action  against  Steph- 
anus.  Allow  me,  therefore,  to  amend  your  proposal. 


292  QUINTUS    CLAUDI 

Write  a  few  words  of  explanation  to  your  mother  on  your 
\\M\  tablets,  and  give  it  to  your  slave  to  deliver;  he  may 
then  conduct  the  ladies.  The  men  on  horseback  can 
escort  them  to  her  house,  and  then  put  up  at  the  near- 
est tavern.  You,  meanwhile,  accompany  us  to  the  ship. 
And,"  he*added  after  a  pause  for  reflection  as  to  what 
fiction  he  might  put  forward  to  the  three  girls,  "  we  will, 
at  the  same  time,  see  my  fellow-countryman,  the  sea- 
man from  Trajectum,  on  board  his  own  vessel,  which  is 
to  sail  to-day  for  the  East." 

"  Which  seaman  ?"  asked  the  lawyer  looking  round. 

11  That  I  will  explain  presently." 

"  Well,  whatever  is  agreeable  to  the  ladies,  is  agree- 
able to  me " 

"  Oh !  we  are  in  the  country  here,"  said  Cornelia, 
"  and  may  dispense  with  ceremony.  Only  your  mother 
will  be  startled " 

"  Delighted,  you  mean.  She  can  wish  for  no  more 
agreeable  surprise." 

"  So  be  it  then !"  cried  Aurelius ;  "  and  when  all  is 
settled,  we  will  join  the  festivities." 

The  first  houses  of  Ostia  were  now  visible  on  either 
hand,  and  the  bustle  and  stir  in  the  road  grew  busier. 
Seamen  of  every  nation,  fishermen  with  red  worsted 
caps,  porters,  and  barrowmen,  pushed  and  crowded 
each  other.  In  five  minutes  they  had  reached  the  quay ; 
at  the  farther  end  of  the  mole  lay  the  trireme,  gaily 
dressed  with  flags,  and  towering  majestically  above  the 
fishing  vessels  and  barges.  The  young  men  got  out, 
and  the  carriage  rolled  away,  escorted  by  the  Sicam-' 
brians  and  Numidians,  as  far  as  the  embowered  villa, 
which  it  reached  in  a  few  minutes. 


QUINTUS   CLAUDIUS.  293 


CHAPTER  XXII. 

"  Do  not  be  uneasy,  Quintus,"  Aurelius  whispered, 
as  Cneius  Afranius  dismounted  and  threw  the  bridle  to 
his  slave.  "  By  all  the  gods,  this  man  is  as  trustworthy 
as  you  and  I  are  !  It  would  be  perfect  madness,  not  to 
give  him  an  opportunity  for  an  interview  with  Eury- 
machus.  His  fight  with  Stephanus  is  in  the  interest  of 
common  humanity,  and  particularly  in  that  of  our  pro- 


"  It  is  all  the  same  ;  I  do  not  like  the  business  at 
all." 

"Then,  so  far  as  you  personally  are  concerned,  you 
can  keep  altogether  aloof." 

Quintus  looked  enquiringly  at  him. 

"  Why  are  you  so  surprised  ?"  Aurelius  continued. 
"  It  seems  to  me  a  very  simple  matter.  I  will  put  my- 
self forward  as  his  protector,  and  you  can  play  the  part 
of  entire  innocence.  You  need  not  frown,  as  if  I  had 
suggested  some  cowardly  action  ;  if  the  whole  matter 
ever  comes  to  be  known,  it  will  make  wonderfully  little 
difference,  whether  Afranius  is  in  possession  of  the  whole 
or  only  of  half  the  truth.  You  will  save  yourself  noth- 
ing but  immediate  embarrassment.  I,  for  my  part,  am 
so  perfectly  intimate  with  Afranius,  so  completely  his 
friend  ____  " 

"If  you  suppose  .  .  .  ." 

"  Only  explain  the  case  to  your  slave,  Blepyrus. 
He  must  not  be  implicated.  Your  best  way  to  avoid 
difficulties  will  be  not  to  come  on  board.  I  could  not 


294  QUINTUS  CLAUDIUS. 

even  have  invited  you  to  come  on  with  me,  if  I  had  not 
felt  it  a  duty  to  inform  you  of  my  intentions." 

Quintus  nodded. 

"  Very  good,"  he  said  thoughtfully.  "  Then  tell  our 
friend,  Eurymachus,  not  to  mention  my  name.  I, 
meanwhile,  will  part  from  Afranius  as  though  I  had 
business  to  attend  to,  and  I  will  wait  for  you  on  shore. 
How  long  will  you  remain  on  board  ?" 

"  Twenty  minutes.  Afranius  must  get  through  his 
examination  as  quickly  as  possible." 

This  brief  dialogue  had  been  carried  on  in  haste  and 
in  a  whisper.  Afranius  had  been  giving  instructions  to 
his  slave,  as  to  how  to  treat  his  hired  nag,  which  was 
somewhat  overtired,  and  he  now  joined  Quintus,  while 
Aurelius  hurried  off  to  the  two  slaves,  who  carried,  rather 
than  led,  Eurymachus.  Three  words  sufficed  to  explain 
the  situation.  The  wounded  man  cast  a  look  of  mourn- 
ful gratitude  at  his  preserver,  Quintus,  who  bowed  to 
him  with  feigned  indifference;  then  he  released  Ble- 
pyrus,  and  rested  his  arm  on  the  Batavian's  shoulder. 
Blepyrus  turned  to  follow  his  master,  who  went  off  with 
long  strides  landwards  along  the  high-street. 

By  every  human  calculation  the  perilous  work  was 
now  happily  finished ;  all  the  rest  might  be  considered 
and  carried  out  at  leisure.  If  Stephanus  could  be  really 
unmasked  in  all  his  villany,  they  might  yet  succeed  in 
bending  the  severity  of  the  law  in  procuring  the  fugi- 
tive's return,  and  in  securing  him  the  happiness  of  a  free 
and  independent  existence.  Quintus  drew  a  deep 
breath ;  that  would  be  a  worthy  end  to  his  bold  begin- 
ning. He  felt  that  Eurymachus,  now  that  he  had  seen 
him  again,  was  far  more  to  him  than  a  high-souled 
slave.  He  felt  a  spiritual  sympathy,  a  sort  of  ideal 


QUINTUS  CLAUDIUS.  295 

friendship  for  him,  like  that  of  a  disciple  for  his  master. 
His  last  struggle  to  resist  the  overpowering  urgency  of 
this  sentiment  had  died  effete. 

After  walking  about  ten  minutes,  Quintus  turned 
back  again,  and  just  as  he  reached  the  strand  the  boat 
came  to  shore  with  Afranius,  Aurelius,  and  the  Goth. 
Eurymachus,  then,  was  safe  on  board,  and  if  the  law- 
yer's radiant  expression  did  not  belie  him,  his  interview 
with  the  fugitive  had  yielded  a  rich  harvest.  As  the 
men  stepped  on  land,  he  turned  eagerly  to  Aurelius  and 
asked  him  when  the  trireme  was  to  start. 

"  Everything  was  made  ready  yesterday,"  replied 
Aurelius.  "  In  five  minutes  they  will  be  off  with  all  the 
oars  plied." 

He  looked  across  the  waters,  and  raised  his  right 
hand  to  wave  a  farewell. 

"  Good-luck  go  with  you  ?*  he  said  in  a  low  voice, 
but  loud  enough  for  Quintus  to  hear  him.  "  Greet 
Trajectum  fondly  from  me." 

In  a  few  minutes  the  trireme  began  to  move.  Slow- 
ly at  first  she  made  her  way  through  the  crowd  of  mer- 
chant and  fishing-vessels,  which  lay  at  anchor.  But  the 
captain's  hammer-strokes  beat  faster  and  faster,  and  the 
oars  dipped  deeper  and  more  strongly  in  the  dashing 
waves.  Now,  gliding  past  the  jetty  at  the  end  of  the 
quay,  the  trireme  was  afloat  on  the  open  sea,  and  rode 
the  broad  blue  waters  like  a  swan.  The  men  still  stood 
gazing  after  the  proud  and  beautiful  vessel — Aurelius, 
for  his  part,  not  altogether  without  a  vague  and  melan- 
choly homesick  feeling.  Although  he  knew,  that  within 
a  few  hours  the  trireme  would  turn  aside  from  her  course 
and  steer  for  the  roads  of  Antium,  still,  the  dear  north- 
country  and  the  image  of  the  mother  he  had  left  behind 


296  QUINTUS  CLAUDIUS. 

him,  suddenly  seemed  brought  nearer  to  him.  He  had 
but  spoken  the  name  of  his  home — but  it  had  filled  his 
,soul  with  yearning.  He  thought  of  the  immediate  fut- 
ure.—  Ere  long  he  too  might  be  a  fugitive,  weary  and 
persecuted  like  Eurymachus,  escaping  on  board  that 
very  ship,  and  thanking  the  gods  if  he  might  only  flee 
unrecognized.  And  then  Rome,  and  all  that  it  contained 
of  dear  and  fair,  would  be  closed  against  him  forever. 
All  —  Claudia?  the  thought  sank  down  on  his  soul  like 
lead.  Claudia  in  Rome,  and  he  hundreds  of  miles  away, 
with  the  fearful  certainty  of  never  seeing  her  again ! 
But  if  she  loved  him — then  indeed  . . . . !  If  she  would 
follow  him,  as  Peponilla377  had  followed  her  banished 
husband,  amid  the  ice-hills  of  Scandia,  or  on  the  barren 
shores  of  Thule,37*  spring  would  blossom  for  him  more 
exquisite  than  the  rose-gardens  of  Paestum !  But  what 
was  there  to  justify  his  hopes  of  such  immeasurable  hap- 
piness ?  She  had  given  him  proofs  of  her  friendship,  no 
doubt,  and  when  he  was  reading  the  Thebais,  or  when 
he  spoke  to  her  of  his  northern  home,  she  had  a  way  of 
listening — it  had  often  brought  light  and  warmth  to  his 
soul  like  a  ray  of  promise — but  then  the  revulsion  had 
been  all  the  more  violent ;  her  greeting  would  sound 
distant  and  measured,  her  smile  would  seem  cold  and 

377.  PEPONILLA,  the  wife  of  Julius  Sabinus.  who  had  incited  an 
unsuccessful  insurrection  in  Gaul,  lived  for  nine  years  with  her  hus- 
h.uui  in   a  subterranean  cave,  always  hoping   the  emperor  would 
pardon  the  hunted  man.     But  Vespasian  was  inexorable,  and  when 
Julius  Sabinus  was  discovered,  condemned  not  only  him,  but  his 
faithful  wife,  to  death.     See  Dio  Cass.  LX1V,  16.    In  Tacitus  (Hist. 
IV,  67)  she  is  called  Epponina,  in  Plutarch  (Dial,  de  amicit.  25.) 
Emponn. 

378.  THULE  (»ouAn)  an  island  in  the  German  ocean,  was  the  mo*t 
extreme  northern  point  of  the  earth  known  in  those  days.    See  Tae, 
Ajfr.  X..  Virg.  Gevg.  I.  30.)    It  is  supposed  to  be  what  is  now  calfod 
Iceland,  or  a  part  of  Norway. 


QUINTUS  CLAUDIUS.  $97 

haughty.  Oh  !  if  only  he  might  have  time  to  conquer 
this  indifference. 

But  a  voice  was  now  calling  him  to  the  scene  of 
action,  and  if  that  action  were  to  result  in  failure  !  —  He 
almost  regretted  having  so  unresistingly  yielded  to  the 
eloquence  of  Cinna  and  to  his  own  passionate  patriot- 
ism —  though  indeed,  as  he  told  himself,  his  eager  passion 
for  Claudia  was  not  the  least  of  the  motives  that  urged 
him  to  action,  nay,  but  for  that  passion  he  might  still 
have  been  hesitating.  As  it  was,  it  had  dragged  him  with 
the  force  of  a  possession  into  the  whirlpool  of  conspiracy. 
He  longed  to  stand  before  her — his  chosen  love — as  a 
victor  over  tyranny,  as  a  liberator  of  the  empire,  and 
say  to  her :  "  Now,  noble  heart,  I  may  sue  for  thy  love, 
for  I  have  a  grand  advocate  in  the  gratitude  of  my 
country." 

All  this  swept  through  his  mind  like  a  waking 
dream,  as  he  gazed  in  silence  at  the  immeasurable  sea. 
Then,  coming  to 'himself,  and  turning  round,  his  eyes 
met  those  of  Quintus.  They  were  the  very  eyes — those 
dear,  beautiful,  unforgettable  eyes — of  his  loved  Claudia, 
only  less  sweetly  thoughtful,  less  tenderly  dreamy. 
Suddenly  his  resolve  was  taken.  As  soon  as  it  should 
be  possible,  this  very  day  if  it  might  be,  he  would  learn 
his  fate  from  the  woman  he  loved,  and  make  an  end  of 
this  miserable  uncertainty. 

"Was  all  prepared?"  asked  Quintus,  as  Cneius 
Afranius  withdrew  to  one  side  and  wrote  some  notes  on 
his  tablets. 

"  All  quite  ready,"  replied  Aurelius.  "  He  will  be 
cared  for,  as  if  he  were  my  own  brother." 

"  And  what  did  he  tell  Afranius  ?" 

"  I  do  not  know ;  they  were  alone  together.     Afra- 


298  QUINTUS  CLAUD  I 

nius  begged  to  keep  it  secret,  until  he  had  everything 
ready  to  complete  his  case  against  Stephanus." 

Afranius  seemed  to  be  entirely  absorbed  in  thinking 
over  what  he  had  learnt  on  board  the  trireme,  and 
Aurelius  had  to  call  him  twice  by  name,  before  he  roused 
him  from  his  reverie. 

They  were  now  walking  along  the  quay  in  the 
direction  previously  taken  by  the  chariot  The  two- 
wheeled  cisium,  which  had  been  waiting  on  the  opposite 
side  of  the  market-place  in  front  of  a  tavern,  followed 
them  with  Magus  and  Blepyrus,  while  Afranius'  slave 
led  the  grey  hack  and  his  own  mule. 

"  What  a  tremendous  crowd  and  bustle !"  exclaimed 
the  lawyer.  "  Not  such  an  emporium  as  Puteoli,  to  be 
sure,  but  busy  enough  and  not  less  noisy !  Look  at 
rthat  barge  with  those  gigantic  blocks  of  marble — each 
big  enough  to  fill  an  average  store-room !  And  there — 
that  is  really  stupendous  !" 

He  pointed  to  a  spot  on  the  quay,  where  the  crowd 
was  thickest.  A  crane  there  stood  up,  from  which  a 
gigantic  rhinoceros  was  hanging  in  mid-air,  supported  by 
broad  bands  and  girths. 

"  A  cargo  of  beasts  for  the  centennial  games,"379  said 
Quintus.  "  There,  to  the  left,  are  a  dozen  of  iron  cages 
ready  to  receive  them.  Half  Asia  and  Africa  have  been 
plundered  for  the  amphitheatres." 

They  went  nearer,  for  an  interest  in  wild  beasts  was 
a  natural  instinct,  in  all  who  had  ever  breathed  the  air 
of  Rome.  The  hum  and  clatter  of  the  seaport  were 
dully  drowned  now  and  again  by  a  hoarse  roar — the 

370.   A    CARGO     OP     BEASTS    FOR    THE     CENTENNIAL    GAMES. 

A  catalogue  of  animals,  dating  from  the  time  of  Gordian  III,  (2^8  to 
244  A.  D.)  mentions  thirty-two  elephants,  ten  tigers,  sixty  tame  lions, 
three  hundred  tame  leopards — but  only  one  rhinoceros. 


QUItfTUS  CLAUDIUS.  299 

growl  of  one  of  the  lions  from  Gaetulia,  restlessly  pacing 
up  and  down  behind  the  bars  of  their  prison,  which  had 
just  been  landed. 

"  That  is  something  like  a  careful !"  said  the  Batav- 
ian. 

"  The  freight  of  two  vessels,"  remarked  Quintus, 
glancing  at  the  two  large  ships,  one  of  which  had 
already  unloaded  and  gone  to  its  moorings.  "  Our 
gladiators  may  pray  for  good-luck." 

Another  deep  roar,  as  wild  and  hungry  as  ever 
resounded  through  the  midnight  desert,  drowned  his 
voice.  They' were  now  within  a  few  paces  of  the  land- 
ing-place, and  from  hence  they  could  command  a  com- 
plete view  of  the  enormous  array  of  cages,  loaded  on 
low  trucks,  which  were  waiting  to  be  transported  to 
their  destination  by  road.  Hyrcanian  tigers  pressed 
their  glossy  striped  coats  against  the  iron  bars;  Can- 
tabrian  bears,  standing  on  their  hind  legs,  poked  their 
sharp  muzzles  between  the  railings;  leopards  from 
Mauritania,  hyaenas,  panthers  and  lynxes  gnashed  their 
blood-thirsty  jaws ;  aurochs  and  buffaloes  whetted  their 
sheathless  horns,  or  stared  in  lazy  indifference  on  the 
strange  surroundings.  There  were  a  few  rhinoceroses 
too,  a  great  rarity  at  Rome ;  and  some  enormous  croc- 
odiles, which  excited  the  astonishment  and  curiosity  of 
the  maritime  populace.  Farther  off,  fastened  together 
in  long  rows,  were  numbers  of  wild  asses  from  the  hills 
of  Numidia,  wild  horses,  giraffes  and  zebras ;  for  even 
such  beasts  as  these  had  their  part  in  the  mighty  fights 
in  the  Flavian  amphitheatre. 

Quintus  and  Aurelius  lounged  idly  towards  the 
cages,  while  Afranius  studied  the  movements  of  the 
crane,  which  was  now  beginning  to  lower  the  grotesque 


300  QUINTUS   CLAUDIUS. 

monster.  The  two  young  men  came  to  a  stand  in  front 
of  a  lion  of  unusual  size,  which  was  snorting  at  the  bars 
of  its  cage,  and  standing  in  a  haughty  and  threatening 
attitude,  its  head  and  tangled  mane  held  high  in  the  air. 
It  was,  in  fact,  the  same  beast  as  had  just  now  sent  out 
that  terrific  roar.  His  keeper,  leaning  against  the  corner 
of  the  cage  at  a  respectful  distance,  had  tried  to  coax  and 
pacify  the  brute,  and  as  the  two  gentlemen  approached 
the  cage  he  respectfully  withdrew  to  one  side.  The  lion 
watched  him  as  he  moved,  and  then,  as  he  turned  his 
head  and  perceived  the  two  strangers  so  close  to  the 
bars,  he  drew  back  a  pace  as  if  startled,  bellowed  out  for 
the  third  time  his  thundering  and  appalling  roar;  and 
blind  with  fury,  rushed  at  the  iron  railing. 

Quintus  and  Aurelius  smiled  and  looked  at  each 
other — but  they  had  both  turned  pale  at  the  brute's  un- 
expected onslaught. 

"  He  seems  to  have  some  personal  objection  to  me," 
said  Quintus.  "  His  fiery  glare  is  steadily  fixed  on  me. 
My  word  !  but  it  increases  my  respect  for  our  gladiators; 
to  stand  face  to  face  with  such  a  beast  in  the  arena,  must 
have  an  unpleasant  effect  on  the  nerves.  Here  we  see 
nature  in  all  its  unmitigated  ferocity." 

The  lion  was,  in  fact,  standing  with  a  burning  eye 
fixed  on  Quintus,  as  though  in  him  he  recognized  an  old 
enemy. 

"  Let  us  go,"  said  the  young  man,  frowning.  "  It 
is  only  a  dumb,  unconscious  brute,  and  I  am  ashamed 
to  have  been  so  shaken  by  his  mere  roar.  Aye,  blink 
away,  you  hairy  old  villain.  Thirty  inches  of  steel 
between  your  ribs  will  reduce  even  you  to  silence,  and 
that  must  be  your  fate  at  last,  however  wildly  you  may 
rage  and  foam  over  bleeding  men  first." 


QUINTUS   CLAUDIUS.  30 1 

"  That  is  a  thorough  bad  one,"  said  the  negro  keeper, 
who  spoke  Latin  with  difficulty.  "  I  have  tamed  more 
than  fifty ;  but  all  trouble  is  thrown  away  on  this  one. 
He  is  one  of  the  mountain  lions,  and  his  father  was  a 
magician.  I  saw  that  at  once,  when  the  hunters  brought 
him,  that  black  tuft  on  his  forehead  shows  it  plainly." 

And,  in  fact,  a  tangled  lock  of  black  hair  hung 
from  the  brute's  mane  between  his  eyes. 

"  Is  it  your  business  to  tame  lions  ?"  asked  Quintus. 

"  I  tame  the  mildest,  and  the  fierce  ones  are  kept 
for  the  fights.  I  have  brought  up  three  tame  ones  for 
the  centennial  games — as  high  as  this — and  they  do 
the  most  wonderful  things  that  have  ever  been  shown  in 
Rome.  They  take  live  hares380  in  their  jaws  and  carry 
them  three  times  round  the  arena,  without  even  squeez- 
ing them." 

But  Quintus  was  not  listening ;  he  had  turned  away. 
The  brute's  scowl,  as  he  kept  his  glaring  eyes  fixed  on 
him,  filled  him  with  an  uneasy  feeling.  Cneius  Afranius 
appealed  to  him,  too — with  a  pressing  reminder,  that  a 
welcome  was  awaiting  him — not  to  forget  the  young 
ladies  and  his  mother  in  favor  of  rhinoceroses  and 
giraffes ;  so  they  got  away  from  the  crowd  and  back  to 
the  high-road,  where  the  chariot  was  waiting  with  the 
slaves. 

The  venerable  Fabulla  had  received  her  guests  at 
the  garden  gate,  and  had  conducted  them  with  repeated 
effusions  of  delight  and  gratitude  to  her  pretty  little 
house,  almost  hidden  among  olives  and  holm  oaks,  and 
bowered  in  ivy  and  vines.  Here  the  young  girls  were 

380.  LIVE  HARES.  See  Mart.  Ep.  I,  6,  ("the  captured  hare 
returning  often  in  safety  from  the  kindly  tooth")  14  ("ana  running  at 
large  through  the  open  jaws,")  22,  104. 


302  QUINTUS   CLAUDIUS. 

seated  under  an  autumn-tinted  arbor-porch,  and  helped 
themselves  to  the  grapes  which  hung  within  reach  over- 
head. In  front  of  them,  on  a  round-table  of  pine-wood, 
stood  a  wicker  basket  of  sweet-smelling  wheat-bread,  a 
half-emptied  bowl  of  milk,  and  a  dish  of  apples  and 
pears.  Near  them  lay  a  distaff,  tied  round  with  scarlet 
ribbons,  and  a  spindle,  for  Fabulla  was  never  for  an 
instant  idle,  and  spun  her  yarn  even  in  the  presence  of 
such  illustrious  strangers. 

"  Children,"  said  Cneius  Afranius,  "  this  is  the  true 
Elysium  ....  The  shade,  the  dull  green  of  the  olives, 
the  vine-garlands,  the  delicious  air,  the  fresh  milk  — 
it  is  superb !  But  to  feel  fully  equipped  for  the  enjoy- 
ment of  it  all,  I  must  first  get  rid  of  all  my  business;  for 
the  present,  then,  I  leave  you  to  your  fate.  I  must 
drink  a  cup  of  this  milk — and  then  farewell.  We  shall 
live  to  meet  again !  Within  an  hour  I  shall  be  here 
again."  And  with  the  tragic  air  of  an  actor  playing  the 
dying  Socrates,  he  took  up  one  of  the  red  clay  cups  and 
solemnly  lifted  it  to  his  lips. 

"  Stop,  stop !"  cried  the  good  mistress.  "  You  are 
taking  mistress  Lucilia's  cup." 

"  Ah ! "  cried  Afranius,  replacing  the  cup  he  had 
drained  on  the  table  with  mock  penitence.  "  Mistress 
Lucilia  will  not  be  too  severe,  I  hope,  to  forgive  the 
mistake  on  the  ground  of  my  thirst  and  absence  of 
mind  ....  Mother,  your  cows  are  improving,  decidedly 
improving.  Never  did  this  nectar  taste  so  truly  Olym- 
pian as  to-day.  Great  Pan  himself  must  bless  them."381 

381.  GREAT  PAN  HIMSELF  MUST  BLESS  THEM.  Pan,  son  of 
Hermes  and  a  daughter  of  Dryops,  or  of  Zeus  and  the  Arcadian 
nymph  Callisto,  etc.,  etc.,  is  a  divinity  of  the  fields  and  forests. 
Cnems  Afranius  here  uses  the  adjective  "great"  in  the  sense  of 
•powerful,"  "influential,"  —  corresponding  with  the  hyperbolical 


QUINTUS    CLAUDIUS.  303 

And  with  these  words  he  quitted  them. 

When  Quintus  and  Aiirelius  had  also  refreshed  them- 
selves, they  all  rose  to  wander  through  the  garden  under 
Fabulla's  guidance.  Quintus  and  Cornelia  led  the 
way,  followed  by  Aurelius  and  Claudia.  The  mistress 
of  the  house  came  last  with  Lucilia,  who  was  in  the 
highest  spirits,  and  never  tired  of  praising  the  beautiful 
curly  kale  and  the  splendid  heads  of  lettuce,  or  of  sing- 
ing fantastical  rhapsodies  in  praise  of  the  autumn  pears 
and  late  figs.  She  had  at  once  detected  the  happy 
pride,  with  which  Fabulla  regarded  the  pretty  little 
estate,  a  pride  which  found  an  unmistakable  echo  in 
Afranius'  jesting  praises.  A  strange  impulse  prompted 
her  to  humor  this  natural  vanity,  and  give  the  worthy 
lady,  whom  she  found  particularly  attractive,  a  simple 
and  genuine  pleasure.  At  the  bottom  of  her  heart  agri- 
culture and  horticulture  were  as  absolutely  indifferent  to 
her  as  any  other  form  of  human  industry ;  but  she  had 
a  happy  gift  of  throwing  herself  into  sympathy  with 
every  sphere  of  feeling.  She  spoke  with  delight  of  the 
charms  of  a  country-life,  and  declared  quite  seriously, 
that  the  noise  of  the  city  was  irritating  and  exhausting 
—  an  assertion  to  which  her  blooming  appearance 
emphatically  gave  the  lie. 

Fabulla  was  perfectly  enchanted  with  the  girl's  ways 
and  manners;  she  had  never  thought  it  possible,  that  so 
fresh,  sweet,  and  unpretending  a  creature  could  come 
out  of  Rome — that  den  of  wickedness  and  perversion 
— still  less  out  of  the  house  of  a  Senator,  and  under  the 

tone  of  the  rest  of  his  speech.  The  totally  different  expression, 
"the  great  Pan,"  in  the  sense  of  a  symbolical  appellation  of  the 
universe,  originates  in  a  verbal  error,  according  to  which  the  word 
Pan  is  derived  from  the  Greek  »as  "  all "  "  the  whole  "  while  it  really 
comes  from  *w  (I  graze.) 


304  QUINTUS    CLAUDIUS. 

very  thunder-bolts,  so  to  speak,  of  the  Capitoline  Ju- 
piter. She  took  the  bright,  young  creature  to  her  heart 
with  all  the  fervor  of  a  convert;  all  the  more  eagerly 
because  Claudia,  though  beautiful,  was  somewhat  taci- 
turn, and  Cornelia,  with  all  her  graciousness,  was  still 
the  unapproachable  great  lady,  mysteriously  shut  up 
within  an  invisible  wall  against  the  advances  of  stran- 
gers. 

Lucilia  was,  in  fact,  absolutely  overflowing  with  ami- 
ability and  graciousness.  When,  after  a  quarter  of  an 
hour  of  wandering,  Fabulla  explained  that  she  must  now 
go  indoors  to  make  some  arrangements  for  their  mid-day 
meal,  Lucilia  begged  to  be  allowed  to  make  herself  of 
use,  and  to  take  the  opportunity  for  seeing  the  kitchen, 
the  store-rooms,  and  the  slaves'  apartments.  Fabulla 
was  enchanted ;  she  pressed  a  kiss  on  her  new  friend's 
brow,  and  said  in  a  tone  of  melancholy : 

"  You  are  just  like  my  sweet  Erotion!38*  She  was 
not  so  pretty  as  you  are,  to  be  sure,  nor  so  elegant,  but 
her  eyes  were  like  yours,  and  she  was  just  as  bright,  and 
had  the  same  love  for  the  garden  and  for  house-keeping. 
— Ah!  and  such  a  good  heart!  How  often  have  I 


382.  MY  SWEET  EROTION.    A  child  of  this  name,  who  died  in 
early  youth,  is  mentioned  by  Martial,  Ep.  V,  34,  37,  and  X,  61. 

*/•  V,  34- 

"  Ye  parents  Pronto  and  Flaccilla  here, 
To  you  do  I  commend  my  girl,  my  dear, 
Lest  pale  Erotion  tremble  at  the  shades, 
And  the  foul  Dog  of  Hell's  prodigious  heads. 
Her  age  fulfilling  just  six  winters  was, 
Had  she  but  known  so  many  days  to  pass. 
'Mongst  you,  old  patrons,  may  she  sport  and  play, 
And  with' her  lisping  tongue  my  name  oft  say. 
May  the  smooth  turf  her  soft  bones  hide,  and  be 
O  earth,  as  light  to  her,  as  she  to  thee !  " 

FLETCHBE. 


QUINTUS   CLAUDIUS.  305 

dreamed  of  future  happiness  for  her  when  she  has  come, 
tired  out  with  play,  and  sat  on  my  lap  and  laid  her  head 
on  my  breast.  Then  she  would  go  to  sleep,  and  I 
would  sing  some  old  song,  and  sit  dreaming  and  hoping 
till  darkness  fell.  But  the  gods  would  not  have  it  so ! 
A  handful  of  ashes  in  a  marble  urn  is  all  that  is  left  me 
of  my  sweet  little  girl." 

She  ceased  speaking,  and  wiped  her  kind,  honest 
eyes  with  the  back  of  her  hand.  Lucilia  gazed  thought- 
fully at  the  ground. 

"  It  is  a  long  time  since,"  Fabulla  added  presently. 
"  Twenty-two  years  next  March ;  but  every  now  and 
then  a  feeling  comes  over  me,  as  if  I  had  lost  the  dear 
child  only  yesterday." 

"  Poor  mother!"  sighed  Lucilia. 

Fabulla  affectionately  stroked  her  thick,  waving  hair. 

"  Do  not  mind  me !"  she  said  ;  "  such  dismal  reflec- 
tions do  not  suit  well  with  the  gaiety  of  youth." 

"  Mirth  and  sadness  dwell  side  by  side,"  replied 
Lucilia,  "  and  to  enjoy  what  is  pleasant  and  endure 
what  is  sorrowful  is  the  only  sensible  way." 

Then  they  went  on  between  the  box-hedged  garden- 
beds. 


Ep.  X,  61. 

"  Underneath  this  greedy  stone 
Lies  little  sweet  Erotion  ; 
Whom  the  Fates,  with  hearts  as  cold, 
Nipp'd  away  at  six  years  old. 
Thou,  whoever  thou  mayst  be, 
That  hast  this  small  field  after  me, 
Let  the  yearly  rites  be  paid 
To  her  little  slender  shade ; 
So  shall  no  disease  or  jar, 
Hurt  thy  house,  or  chill  thy  Lar; 
But  this  tomb  be  here  alone 
The  only  melajjcholy  stone." 

LEIGH  HUNT. 


306  QUINTUS   CLAUDIUS. 

The  two  couples  meanwhile  had  wandered  apart. 
Quintus  and  Cornelia  were  sitting  at  the  farthest  side  of 
the  orchard,  on  a  rough  stone  bench  in  the  deepest 
shade  of  the  fruit  trees,  while  Aurelius  and  Claudia  re- 
mained meditatively  pacing  up  and  down  the  main 
walk. 

"  How  happy  I  feel !"  said  Cornelia.  "  Quintus,  my 
dear  love,  what  more  has  the  world  to  offer  us  ?  If  it 
will  only  leave  us  undisturbed,  so  that  we  may  enjoy  the 
gifts  of  the  gods  in  peace !  But  you  are  very  silent,"my 
dearest;  must  I  wake  you  from  your  dreams  with  a 
kiss  ?  Has  happiness  struck  you  dumb  ?  Only  think 
— before  the  year  is  out  I  shall  be  your  wife !  Yes, 
your  wife;  and  I  may  call  you  my  own  forever.  I 
need  never  give  you  up  again,  as  I  must  now,  when 
every  hour  of  happiness  ends  in  a  parting." 

She  clung  fondly  to  him,  and  looked  into  his  face 
with  radiant  devotion.  Her  eyes  glowed  with  feeling, 
and  the  fair  marble  of  her  throat  and  arms  gleamed  so 
softly  bright,  that  Quintus,  overcome  by  the  inspiration 
of  the  moment,  clasped  her  passionately  in  his  arms, 
and  their  lips  met  in  a  long  and  eager  kiss. 

"  Cornelia — fairest  and  dearest  of  mortal  creatures!" 
he  whispered  tenderly,  as  she  released  herself,  "  you 
draw  the  very  soul  out  of  my  body  with  your  perfect, 
heaven-sent  love !  Oh  !  my  sweetheart,  I  too  can  pict- 
ure no  purer  or  more  noble  delight,  than  that  of  living 
one  in  spirit  and  hope  with  you.  Aye,  Cornelia,  I  am 
weary  of  the  bustle  of  this  fevered  world,  of  the  vacu- 
ous comedy  of  ambition,  of  dominion,  of  all  this  parcel- 
gilt  vulgarity.  I  long  for  rest  and  solitude  in  a  peace- 
ful home.  I  ask  no  splendor,  no  pomp  of  triumphs,  nor 
lictors  with  their  fesces,  I  only  want  to  be  at  peace 


QU1NTUS  CLAUDIUS.  307 

with  myself — I  only  seek  that  glorious  harmony,  which 
reconciles  all  the  discords  of  life.  And  that  peace,  that 
respite  and  rest,  I  hope  to  find  with  you,  my  sweetest 
Cornelia." 

"  My  whole  being,  body  and  soul,  are  yours,"  replied 
Cornelia.  "  Do  what  you  will  with  me.  If  love  can 
bring  peace,  your  hopes  must  certainly  be  fulfilled.  But 
tell  me,  my  dearest,  do  you  really  so  utterly  contemn 
fame  and  glory  ?  Will  you  never  make  any  effort  to  at- 
tain what,  merely  as  a  Claudian,  you  must  desire :  the 
triumph  of  an  immortal  name  ?  Are  peace  and  the 
joys  of  love  so  absolutely  antagonistic  to  the  winning  of 
laurels  ?  Do  not  yet  abandon  the  post,  where  the  gods 
have  placed  you.  Be  all  they  have  created  you  to  be : 
a  son  of  that  glorious  race,  which,  not  so  long  ago,  gave 
us  an  Emperor !  You  know  me  well,  my  dearest ;  you 
know  I  would  worship  you  still,  even  if  the  Fates  de- 
prived you  of  all — everything ;  if  you  were  a  fugitive,  a 
beggar,  scorned,  hated,  I  am  still  and  forever  yours. 
But,  as  it  is,  you  are  rich  and  noble,  and  why  should  I 
deny,  that  fame  and  pomp  and  splendor  have  a  charm 
for  me?  Even  the  outward  gifts  of  fortune  are  be- 
stowed by  the  gods,  and  the  best  thanks  we  can  offer  is 
to  enjoy." 

"  Nay,  do  not  misunderstand  me,  sweet  soul !  I  do 
not  wish  to  retire  into  the  desert  like  an  eastern  peni- 
tent, nor  to  fling  away  the  last  drinking-cup  like  the 
philosopher  of  Sinope.383  It  is  only  empty  and  fruitless 
activity  that  I  long  to  escape,  the  mad  whirl  of  a  life 
which  swallows  men  up  to  the  very  last  fibre,  and  leaves 
them  not  a  second  for  reflection.  It  is  only  from  afar, 

383.  PHILOSOPHER  OF  SINOPE.  The  well-known  Cynic  philo- 
sopher Diogenes,  born  at  Sinope  on  the  Black  Sea,  404,  B.  C. 

M* 


308  QUINTUS  CLAUDIUS. 

that  you  know  that  heart  and  brain-consuming  turmoil. 
Cinna  is  one  of  those  who  contemn  it,  and  you  have 
grown  up  under  his  roof.  But  I  see  it  close,  and  I 
shudder  at  the  sight.  Is  it  worth  while  to  have  lived  at 
all,  when  our  last  hour  only  cuts  the  thread  of  a  tissue 
of  follies  ?  To  what  end  this  hollow,  noisy  and  bewil- 
dering drama  ?  There  would  be  more  consolation  and 
refreshment  in  studying  the  inside  of  an  ant-hill." 

"  You  are  so  serious,"  said  Cornelia.  "  What  can 
be  the  matter  with  you  ?  You  used  to  say  things  like 
this,  but  only  as  a  man  out  of  conceit  with  his  surround- 
ings. And  now  you  look  so  strange,  so  mysteri- 
ous   " 

"  You  are  right,  dear  heart ;  I  am  too  grave  for  so 
sweet  an-hour.  Forgive  me,  my  darling.  In  time  you 
will  know  better  what  it  is,  that  I ....  I  cannot  explain 
to  you  at  present." 

And  he  drew  her  once  more  to  his  breast,  and  kissed 
her  passionately. 

Aurelius  and  Claudia  had  behaved  with  far  greater 
coolness  and  propriety.  Behind  this  moderation,  it  is 
true,  lurked  an  unrest  which  now  and  again  betrayed 
itself  in  small  details.  As  the  Batavian,  by  way  of  open- 
ing the  conversation,  tried  to  paint  the  particular  beau- 
ties of  the  autumn  season,  a  faint  flush  mounted  to  his 
brow,  and  Claudia  made  some  observations  on  the  noble 
dimensions  of  three  pumpkins  in  a  voice  that  trembled, 
as  though  she  were  craving  some  favor  from  Caesar. 
Both  were  in  that  mood  of  self-conscious  confusion, 
which  is  peculiar  to  lovers  in  anticipation  of  an  import- 
ant explanation.  And  Claudia  was  still  more  obviously 
embarrassed,  when  Caius  Aurelius  observed  that  such 
gourds  grew  at  Trajectum  too. 


QVIKTUS   CLAUDWS.  309 

M  It  might  happen,"  he  went  on  after  a  pause,  "  that 
circumstances  might  require  me  to  return  home  sooner, 
than  I  at  first  intended  .  .  .  ." 

Claudia  pulled  the  leaves  off  an  olive-branch. 

"  That  would  be  a  pity,"  she  said  in  a  constrained 
tone.  Then  she  colored,  and  went  on  eagerly:  "  For, 
in  fact,  many  interesting  features  of  our  metropolis  are 
still  unknown  to  you." 

"  Oh,"  replied  Aurelius,  "  I  am  not  particularly  de- 
voted to  seeing  features  of  interest.  What  I  far  more 
regret,  is  taking  leave  of  so  many  excellent  friends,  so 
many  hospitable  houses  where  I  have  passed  hours  of 
delightful  intercourse,  and  heard  so  many  noble  ideas . . ." 

"Ah,  yes,  of  course,"  said  Claudia,  breaking  the  olive- 
twig  into  little  pieces.  The  Batavian  sighed. 

"  Above  all,"  he  went  on^"  I  can  never  forget  how 
kindly  your  illustrious  father  received  me  ... ." 

"  Oh !"  exclaimed  Claudia. 

"  And  your  mother ....  You  cannot  imagine  how 
deeply  I  reverence  that  noble  matron,  how  grateful  I  am 
to  her  for  allowing  me  daily  admission  and  intimacy  in 
her  house.  Ah!  sweet  mistress,  how  happy  I  have 
been  in  that  family  circle  !  Your  brother,  I  may  ven- 
ture to  believe,  has  become  my  best  and  truest  friend ; 
even  Lucilia,  who  generally  is  so  severely  critical,  has 

not  been  unkind  to  me You  may  laugh  at  me,  but 

I  swear  to  you,  that  when  I  am  forced  to  leave  I  shall 
leave  a  piece  of  my  heart  behind !" 

Claudia  looked  down  and  walked  on  in  silence,  her 
hand  shook. 

"  Madam,"  the  young  man  went  on,  and  his  voice 
trembled  with  agitation,  "  when  I  am  gone — forever, 
when  miles  of  land  and  sea  divide  us — will  you  some- 


310  QUIMTUS  CLAtJCIUS. 

times  think  with  kindness  of  the  stranger  .'...?  Will 
you  recall  the  hour  in  which  we.  met,  our  happy  days 
at  Baiae,  and  this  blissful  time  in  Rome  ....?" 

"  Indeed  I  shall,"  Claudia  murmured  almost  inaudi- 
bly. 

They  had  now  reached  the  southern  end  of  the 
broad  walk,  where  a  brick  wall  was  visible  through  a 
screen  of  shrubs ;  the  patches  of  light,  which  the  sun 
cast  on  the  gravel  through  the  leaves,  were  visibly  aslant 
to  the  left,  and  the  observation  struck  Aurelius  to  the 
heart;  from  the  register  afforded  by  this  natural  time- 
keeper, he  perceived  that  the  best  of  the  day  had  slipped 
by  unused.  He  was  suddenly  seized  with  a  kind  of 
panic:  these  rays  of  light  symbolized  his  happiness.  It 
was  escaping  him,  vanishing  fast — he  must  lose  it,  if  he 
did  not  then  and  there  find  some  spell  to  command  and 
keep  it. 

He  stood  still 

"Listen!"  he  said  with  an  effort.  "I  cannot  help 
it ...  Before  I  go,  I  must  ask  you  a  question.  I  almost 
feel  as  though  I  could  foresee  the  answer. —  It  is  all  the 
same,  I  must  speak.  Only  one  thing  I  would  beg  be 
forehand :  Do  not  laugh  at  my  blind  self-deceit.  You 
know  me — I  am  neither  highly  gifted  nor  of  noble 
birth,  but  I  have  a  faithful  nature  and  a  heart  full  of 
never-failing  devotion — and  you  are  the  object  of  that 
devotion.  Therefore  I  must  ask :  could  you  bear  to 
make  up  your  mind  to  be  my  wife  ?  I  ask  no  promise, 
Claudia,  no  binding  vows — only  a  word  to  give  me 
hope,  a  single  word  of  comfort  and  encouragement.  If 
you  can,  oh  Claudia,  speak  it !  If  you  cannot,  at  any 
rate  I  shall  be  free  from  the  anguish  of  uncertainty." 

Claudia  had  listened  to  him  in  rigid  silence,  but  as 


QUINTUS    CLAUDIUS.  3!  I 

he  ended,  she  gave  him  her  hand — looked  up  in  his 
face — and  smiled  through  her  tears.  Aurelius  stood  in 
speechless  surprise;  he  tried  to  speak,  but  in  vain. 
This  transcendent  happiness  seemed  to  have  paralyzed 
his  powers. 

••  You  dear,  foolish  map,"  said  Claudia  with  glow- 
ing cheeks.  "  What  have  I  done,  that  you  should  put 
a  poor  girl  like  me  to  the  blush  ?  I,  who  have  looked 
up  to  you  in  all  humility  .  .  .  ." 

"  Claudia !"  cried  the  Batavian,  trembling  with  rapt- 
ure. "Am  I  not  cheated  by  a  dream  ?  You — mine? 
I  am  delirious — raving." 

"  Nay,  it  is  the  truth.  I  am  yours  now  and  till 
death." 

"  Quintus,  Claudia,  Cornelia,"  shouted  a  clear,  girlish 
voice,  "  are  you  playing  at  hide-and-seek  ?  or  has  some 
tricky  god  turned  you  all  into  trees?  Come  forth, 
Fauns384  and  Dryads  i3®5  The  couches  are  ready  in  the 
triclinium,  and  a  banquet  is  prepared,  that  is  worthy  of 
Olympus." 

Aurelius  did  not  seem  particularly  interested  in  the 
information.  How  gladly  would  he  have  dreamed 
away  the  remainder  of  the  day  out  here  under  the  verd- 
urous shade !  But  society  asserts  its  rights,  and  love, 
particularly  when  it  is  a  secret,  must  early  learn  to  take 
patience. 

"  Let  us  be  prudent  and  say  nothing  of  this,"  said 
Claudia  as  they  went  in.  "  My  father  has  certain 
schemes  in  his  head,  as  perhaps  you  know — he  has  not 

384.  FAUN  (from/aveo —  to  be  favorable).  A  god  of  the  fields  and 
woods,  akin  to  the  Greek  woodland  deity,  Pan. 

385.  DRYAD.     The  embodied  life-principle  of  the  tree,  a  tree» 
nymph. 


QUINTUS  CLAUDIUS. 

spoken  out  about  them  as  yet,  but  Lucilia  told  me  she 
was  sure  of  it,  and  Lucilia  has  eyes  like  a  Pannonian 
lynx.3*6  Sextus  Furius,  the  senator — you  know  him  — 
wants,  they  say,  to  make  me  his  wife,  and  my  father  is 
not  averse  to  it.  •  We  shall  have  a  fight  for  it,  dear 
Caius " 

"  And  you  say  it  as  calmly  .  .  .  ." 

"  Shall  I  worry  beforehand  over  things  I  cannot  pre- 
vent ?  But  I  will  do  my  utmost  to  win  my  father  over. 
He  is  stern,  but  he  loves  me,  and  for  his  daughter's 
happiness  he  would  make  a  sacrifice — a  sacrifice  I  say 
advisedly,  for  you  know  how  strictly  he  adheres  to  his 
principles,  and  one  of  his  principles  is  a  prejudice 
against  the  class  of  knights  .  .  .  ." 

"  And  if  your  hopes  deceive  you — if  all  is  in  vain  ?" 

"  Then  I  remember  that  the  old  saying :  '  Where 
you,  Caius,  are,  there  will  I,  Caia,  be,'3*7  is  a  pledge  no 
less  sacred  than  obedience  to  parents ;  and  I  too  am  of 
the  race  of  Claudius !" 

They  had  reached  the  open  plot  in  front  of  the 
house,  where  Cneius  Afranius  was  standing  with  Lucilia 
and  his  mother,  cutting  ripe  grapes  into  a  basket  with  a 
sharp  knife.  Dressed  in  a  flowered  tunic,  the  city  law- 
yer was  humming  the  air  of  a  Gaulish  popular  song ; 
every  now  and  then  he  interrupted  himself  with  a 
cry  of  surprise  at  the  huge  size  of  the  grapes,  or  a  jesting 
woYd  to  the  young  girl,  and  all  the  time  his  jolly  pleas- 
ant face,  ruddy  with  the  exertion  and  with  the  October 
sun,  shone  like  a  living  tribute  to  Bacchus. 

386.  PANSONIAN    LYNX.     Pannonia,   now  Hungary.     Lynxes 
were  also  imported  from  Gaul. 

387.  WHERE  you.  CAIUS.  ARE.  THERE  WILL  I.  CAIA.  BE.    An 
ancient  formula,  in  which  the  bride  vowed  faith  and  obedience  to  the 
bridegroom, 


QU1NTUS  CLAUDIUS.  313 

"  There !"  he  exclaimed,  as  Quintus  and  Cornelia 
also  appeared  upon  the  scene,  "  now,  a  few  leaves,  and 
then  Zeuxis*8  himself  could  not  paint  a  prettier  picture! 
Aha!  here  are  our  peripatetic**  philosophers!  Come 
along,  our  country  dining-room  is  quite  ready !  Come, 
Quintus,  and  see  if  Fabulla's  spelt  porridge  and  cabbage 
sprouts  *°  are  to  your  liking ;  I;am  credibly  informed  too, 
that  there  is  a  fish  salad  with  chopped  eggs  and  leeks. 
Such  a  cybium391  as  my  mother  makes,  you  have  never 
tasted.  Even  the  great  Euphemus,  with  all  his  art,  must 
yield  to  that  triumph  of  culinary  skill.  Walk  in,  most 
worshipful  company,  walk  in,  for  here  too  the  gods 
abide  1" 


388.  ZEUXIS  of  Heracleia  in  Greece,  a  famous  artist,  who  fired 
about  397  B.  C.     His  contest  with  Parrhasius,  in  which  he  painted 
grapes  so  deceptive,  that  they  lured^the  birds,  is  well  known. 

389.  PERIPATETICS  (wanderers.)     A  name  given  to  Aristotles* 
school  of  philosophers,  from  its  founder's  habit  of  delivering  his  lec- 
tures, not  seated,  but  walking  about. 

390.  CABBAGE  SPROUTS.      In  the  spring  the  young  cabbage 
shoots  (cimae,  prototomi)  were  eaten,  in  the  summer  and  autumn  the 
larger  stalks  (exults  cau&uli)  see  Mart.  Ep.  V.  78. 

391.  CYBIUM  (c*0tor).     A  sort  of  mayonnaise  made  of  salt  tunny- 
fish,  cut  into  squares.     See  Mart.  Ep.  V.  '78.  where  die  sliced  eggs  are 
not  lacking.     There  were  two  kinds  of  leek  (pomun:)/0muK  sectilc 

''(chives)  and  porrum  capitatitm. 


END   OF  VOL.   L 


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o  M< 


